na 


/iDafeers  ot  Ibfstorg 


Richard  II. 


BY    JACOB    ABBOTT 


WITH  EN3RAVIN3S 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

HARPER    &   BROTHERS   PUBLISHERS 

1904 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-eight,  by 

HARPER    &     BROTHERS, 

in  the  Clerk's  office  01  the  District  court  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New  York. 


Copyright,  1886,  by  BENJAMIN  VAUGHAN  ABBOTT,  AUSTIN  ABBOTT, 
LYMA>-  ABBOTT,  and  EDWARD  ABBOTT. 


PREFACE. 


KING  RICHARD  THE  SECOND  lived  in  the 
days  when  the  chivalry  of  feudal  times  was  in 
all  its  glory.  His  father,  the  Black  Prince ;  his 
uncles,  the  sons  of  Edward  the  Third,  and  his 
ancestors  in  a  long  line,  extending  back  to  the 
days  of  Eichard  the  First,  were  among  the  most 
illustrious  knights  of  Europe  in  those  days,  and 
their  history  abounds  in  the  wonderful  exploits, 
the  narrow  escapes,  and  the  romantic  adven- 
tures, for  which  the  knights  errant  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages  were  so  renowned.  This  volume  takes 
up  the  story  of  English  history  at  the  death  of 
Richard  the  First,  and  continues  it  to  the  time 
of  the  deposition  and  death  of  Richard  the  Sec- 
ond, with  a  view  of  presenting  as  complete  a 
picture  as  is  possible,  within  such  limits,  of  the 
ideas  and  principles,  the  manners  and  customs, 
and  the  extraordinary  military  undertakings 
and  exploits  of  that  wonderful  age. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  Pag* 

i.  RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS 13 

II.  QUARRELS 37 

III.  THE    BLACK    PRINCE 81 

IV.  THE    BATTLE    OF    POICTIERS 103 

V.  CHILDHOOD    OF    RICHARD 146 

VI.  ACCESSION    TO    THE    THRONE 166 

VII.  THE    CORONATION 185 

Till.  CHIVALRY l'97 

ix.  WAT  TYLER'S  INSURRECTION 225 

X.  THE    END    OF    THE    INSURRECTION 255 

XI.  GOOD    QUEEN    ANNE 273 

XII.  INCIDENTS    OF    THE    REIGN 290 

XIII.  THE    LITTLE    QUEEN 310 

xiv.  RICHARD'S  DEPOSITION  AND  DEATH..  .  324 


ENGRAVINGS. 


Page 
PARLEY    WITH    THE    INSURGENTS Frontispiece . 

RUINS  OF  AN  ANCIENT  CASTLE - 15 

MAP SITUATION  OF  NORMANDY 23 

KING  JOHN 29 

CAERNARVON  CASTLE 51 

PORTRAIT  OF  EDWARD  THE  SECOND 55 

WARWICK  CASTLE 61 

KENILWORTH  CASTLE 66 

A  MONK  OF  THOSE  DAYS 69 

BERKELEY  CASTLE 71 

CAVES  IN  THE  HILL-SIDE  AT  NOTTINGHAM  CASTLE.  75 

MORTIMER'S  HOLE 79 

MAP CAMPAIGN  OF  CRECY 85 

VIEW  OF  ROUEN 87 

GENOESE  ARCHER  94 

OLD  ENGLISH  SHIPS 105 

MAP CAMPAIGN  OF  POICTIERS 110 

STORMING  OF  THE  CASTLE  OF  ROMORANTIN 116 

RICHARD  RECEIVING  THE  VISIT  OF  HIS  UNCLE  JOHN.  152 

PORTRAIT  OF  RICHARD'S  GRANDFATHER 165 

EDWARD,  THE  BLACK  PRINCE 169 


xii  ENGRAVINGS. 

THE    BULL 177 

STORMING    OF    A    TOWN 205 

KNIGHTS   CHARGING    UPON    EACH    OTHER 220 

TIEW    OF    THE    TOWER    OF    LONDON 235 

THE    SAVOY 248 

RUINS    OF    THE    SAVOY 252 

COSTUMES 282 

FASHIONABLE   HEAD-DRESSES 283 

SEAL    OF    RICHARD    II 300 

HENRY    OF    BOLINGBROKE KING    HENRY    IV 340 

PONTEFRACT   CASTLE  342 


KING  RICHARD  II. 

CHAPTER  I. 
RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS. 

Three  Richards.  Richard  the  Crusader. 

npHERE  have  been  three  monarchs  of  the 
-*-  name  of  Richard  upon  the  English  throne. 

Richard  I.  is  known  and  celebrated  in  his- 
tory as  Richard  the  Crusader.  He  was  the  sov- 
ereign ruler  not  only  of  England,  but  of  all  the 
Norman  part  of  France,  and  from  both  of  his 
dominions  he  raised  a  vast  army,  and  went  with 
it  to  the  Holy  Land,  where  he  fought  many 
years  against  the  Saracens  with  a  view  of  rescu- 
ing Jerusalem  and  the  other  holy  places  there 
from  the  dominion  of  unbelievers.  He  met  with 
a  great  many  remarkable  adventures  in  going 
to  the  Holy  Land,  and  with  still  more  remarka- 
ble ones  on  his  return  home,  all  of  which  are 
fully  related  in  the  volume  of  this  series  entitled 
King  Richard  I. 

Richard  II.  did  not  succeed  Richard  I.  imme- 
diately. Several  reigns  intervened.  The  mon- 
arch who  immediately  succeeded  Richard  I.  was 


14  KING  RICHARD  II. 


King  John.  Character  of  the  kings  and  nobles  of  those  days. 

John.  John  was  Richard's  brother,  and  had 
been  left  in  command,  in  England,  as  regent, 
during  the  king's  absence  in  the  Holy  Land. 

After  John  came  Henry  III.  and  the  three 
Edwards ;  and  when  the  third  Edward  died,  his 
son  Eichard  II.  was  heir  to  the  throne.  He 
'  was,  however,  too  young  at  that  time  to  reign, 
for  he  was  only  ten  years  old. 

The  kings  in  these  days  were  wild  and  turbu- 
lent men,  always  engaged  in  wars  with  each 
other  and  with  their  nobles,  while  all  the  indus- 
trial classes  were  greatly  depressed.  The  no- 
bles lived  in  strong  castles  in  various  places 
about  the  country,  and  owned,  or  claimed  to 
own,  very  large  estates,  which  the  laboring  men 
were  compelled  to  cultivate  for  them.  Some 
of  these  castles  still  remain  in  a  habitable  state, 
but  most  of  them  are  now  in  ruins — and  very 
curious  objects  the  ruins  are  to  see. 

The  kings  held  their  kingdoms  very  much 
as  the  nobles  did  their  estates — they  consider- 
ed them  theirs  by  right.  And  the  people  gen- 
erally thought  so  too.  The  king  had  a  right, 
as  they  imagined,  to  li ve  in  luxury  and  splen- 
dor, and  to  lord  it  over  the  country,  and  com- 
pel the  mass  of  the  people  to  pay  him  nearly 
all  their  earnings  in  rent  and  taxes,  and  to  raise 
armies,  whenever  he  commanded  them,  tr-  go 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       17 

Origin  and  nature  of  their  power. 

and  fight  for  him  in  his  quarrels  with  his  neigh- 
bors, because  his  father  had  done  these  things 
before  him.  And  what  right  had  his  father  to 
do  these  things  ?  Why,  because  his  father  had 
done  them  before  him.  Very  well ;  but  to  go 
back  to  the  beginning.  What  right  had  the 
first  man  to  assume  this  power,  and  how  did  he 
get  possession  of  it  ?  This  was  a  question  that 
nobody  could  answer,  for  nobody  knew  then, 
and  nobody  knows  now,  who  were  the  original 
founders  of  these  noble  families,  or  by  what 
means  they  first  came  into  power.  People  did 
not  know  how  to  read  and  write  in  the  days 
when  kings  first  began  to  reign,  and  so  no  rec- 
ords were  made,  and  no  accounts  kept  of  public 
transactions ;  and  when  at  length  the  coun- 
tries of  Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages  began  to 
emerge  somewhat  into  the  light  of  civilization, 
these  royal  and  noble  families  were  found  every 
where  established.  The  whole  territory  of  Eu- 
rope was  divided  into  a  great  number  of  king- 
doms, principalities,  dukedoms,  and  other  such 
sovereignties,  over  each  of  which  some  ancient 
family  was  established  in  supreme  and  almost 
despotic  power.  Nobody  knew  how  they  orig- 
inally came  by  their  power. 

The  people  generally  submitted  to  this  power 
very  willingly.     In  the  first  place,  they  had  a 
8—2 


18  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Natural  rights  of  man  in  respect  to  the  fruits  of  the  earth. 

sort  of  blind  veneration  for  it  on  account  of  its 
ancient  and  established  character.  Then  they 
were  always  taught  from  infancy  that  kings  had 
a  right  to  reign,  and  nobles  a  right  to  their  es- 
tates, and  that  to  toil  all  their  lives,  and  allow 
their  kings  and  nobles  to  take,  in  rent  and  tax- 
es, and  in  other  such  ways,  every  thing  that 
they,  the  people,  earned,  except  what  was  barely 
sufficient  for  their  subsistence,  was  an  obligation 
which  the  God  of  nature  had  imposed  upon 
them,  and  that  it  would  be  a  sin  in  them  not  to 
submit  to  it;  whereas  nothing  can  be  more 
plain  than  that  the  God  of  nature  intends  the 
earth  for  racm,  and  that  consequently  society 
ought  to  be  so  organized  that  in  each  genera- 
tion every  man  can  enjoy  something  at  least 
like  his  fair  share  of  the  products  of  it,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  degree  of  industry  or  skill  which 
he  brings  to  bear  upon  the  work  of  developing 
these  products. 

There  was  another  consideration  which  made 
the  common  people  more  inclined  to  submit  to 
these  hereditary  kings  and  nobles  than  we  should 
have  supposed  they  would  have  been,  and  that 
is,  the  government  which  they  exercised  was 
really,  in  many  respects,  of  great  benefit  to  the 
community.  They  preserved  order  as  far  as 
they  could,  and  punished  crimes.  If  bands  of 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.        19 

Beneficial  results  of  royal  rule. 

robbers  were  formed,  the  nobles  or  the  king  sent 
out  a  troop  to  put  them  down.  If  a  thief  broke 
into  a  house  and  stole  what  he  found  there, 
the  government  sent  officers  to  pursue  and  ar- 
rest him,  and  then  shut  him  up  in  jail.  If  a 
murder  was  committed,  they  would  seize  the 
murderer  and  hang  him.  It  was  their  interest 
to  do  this,  for  if  they  allowed  the  people  to  be 
robbed  and  plundered,  or  to  live  all  the  time  in 
fear  of  violence,  then  it  is  plain  that  the  culti- 
vation of  the  earth  could  not  go  on,  and  the 
rents  and  the  taxes  could  not  be  paid.  So  tfyese 
governments  established  courts,  and  made  laws, 
and  appointed  officers  to  execute  them,  in  order 
to  protect  the  lives  and  property  of  their  sub- 
jects from  all  common  thieves  and  murderers, 
and  the  people  were  taught  to  believe  that  there 
was  no  other  way  by  which  their  protection 
could  be  secured  except  by  the  power  of  the 
kings.  We  must  be  contented  as  we  are,  they 
said  to  themselves,  and  be  willing  to  go  and 
fight  the  king's  battles,  and  to  pay  to  him  and 
to  the  nobles  nearly  every  thing  that  we  can 
earn,  or  else  society  will  be  thrown  into  confu- 
sion, and  the  whole  land  will  be  full  of  thieves 
and  murderers. 

In  the  present  age  of  the  world,  means  have 
been  devised  by  which,  in  any  country  suffi- 


20  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  power  of  kings  and  nobles  was  restricted. 

ciently  enlightened  for  this  purpose,  the  people 
themselves  can  organize  a  government  to  re- 
strain and  punish  robbers  and  murderers,  and 
to  make  and  execute  all  other  necessary  laws 
for  the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare ;  but 
in  those  ancient  times  this  was  seldom  or  never 
done.  The  art  of  government  was  not  then  un- 
derstood. It  is  very  imperfectly  understood  at 
the  present  day,  but  in  those  days  it  was  not 
understood  at  all ;  and,  accordingly,  there  was 
nothing  better  for  the  people  to  do  than  to  sub- 
mit to,  and  not  only  to  submit  to,  but  to  main- 
tain with  all  their  power  the  government  of 
these  hereditary  kings  and  nobles. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the 
power  of  these  hereditary  nobles  was  absolute. 
It  was  very  far  from  being  absolute.  It  was  re- 
stricted and  curtailed  by  the  ancient  customs 
and  laws  of  the  realm,  which  customs  and  laws 
the  kings  and  nobles  could  not  transgress  with- 
out producing  insurrections  and  rebellions. 
Their  own  right  to  the  power  which  they  wield- 
ed rested  solely  on  ancient  customs,  and,  of 
course,  the  restrictions  on  these  rights,  which 
had  come  down  by  custom  from  ancient  times, 
were  as  valid  as  the  rights  themselves. 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  kings  were  contin- 
ually overstepping  the  limits  of  their  power, 


EICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       21 

Disputes  about  the  right  of  succession. 

and  insurrections  and  civil  wars  were  all  the 
time  breaking  out,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
realms  over  which  they  reigned  were  kept  in  a 
perpetual  state  of  turmoil.  These  wars  arose 
sometimes  from  the  contests  of  different  claim- 
ants to  the  crown.  If  a  king  died,  leaving  only 
a  son  too  young  to  rule,  one  of  his  brothers, 
perhaps — an  uncle  of  the  young  prince — would 
attempt  to  seize  the  throne,  under  one  pretext 
or  another,  and  then  the  nobles  and  the  cour- 
tiers would  take  sides,  some  in  favor  of  the 
nephew  and  some  in  favor  of  the  uncle,  and  a 
long  civil  war  would  perhaps  ensue.  This  was 
the  case  immediately  after  the  death  of  Eich- 
ard  I.  When  he  died  he  designated  as  his  suc- 
cessor a  nephew  of  his,  who  was  at  that  time 
only  twelve  years  old.  The  name  cf  this  young 
prince  was  Arthur.  He  was  the  son  of  Geof- 
frey, a  brother  of  Eichard's,  older  than  John, 
and  he  was  accordingly  the  rightful  heir;  but 
John,  having  been  once  installed  in  power  by 
his  brother — for  his  brother  had  made  him  re- 
gent when  he  went  away  on  his  crusade  to  the 
Holy  Land — determined  that  he  would  seize 
the  crown  himself,  and  exclude  his  nephew 
from  the  sucbession. 

So  he  caused  himself  to  be  proclaimed  king. 
He  was  in  Normandy  at  the  time ;  but  he  im- 


22  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Case  of  young  Arthur.  The  King  of  France  becomes  hia  ally. 

mediately  put  himself  at  the  head  of  an  armec) 
force  and  went  to  England. 

The  barons  of  the  kingdom  immediately  re- 
solved to  resist  him,  and  to  maintain  the  cause 
of  the  young  Arthur.  They  said  that  Arthur 
was  the  rightful  king,  and  that  John  was  only 
a  usurper ;  so  they  withdrew,  every  man  to  his 
castle,  and  fortified  themselves  there. 

In  cases  like  this,  where  in  any  kingdom 
there  were  two  contested  claims  for  the  throne, 
the  kings  of  the  neighboring  countries  usually 
came  in  and  took  part  in  the  quarrel.  They 
thought  that  by  taking  sides  with  one  of  the 
claimants,  and  aiding  him  to  get  possession  of 
the  throne,  they  should  gain  an  influence  in  the 
kingdom  w'.iich  they  might  afterward  turn  to 
account  for  themselves.  The  King  of  France 
at  this  time  was  named  Philip.  He  determined 
to  espouse  the  cause  of  young  Arthur  in  this 
quarrel.  His  motive  for  doing  this  was  to  have 
a  pretext  for  making  war  upon  John,  and,  in 
the  war,  of  conquering  some  portion  of  Nor- 
mandy and  annexing  it  to  his  own  dominions. 

So  he  invited  Arthur  to  come  to  his  court, 
and  when  he  arrived  there  he 'asked  him  if  he 
would  not  like  to  be  King  of  England.  Arthur 
said  that  he  should  like  to  be  a  king  very  much 
indeed.  "  Well,"  said  Philip,  "  I  will  furnish 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       23 

Map  showing  the  situation  of  Normandy. 

you  with  an  army,  and  you  shall  go  and  make 
war  upon  John.  I  will  go  too,  with  another 
army ;  then,  whatever  I  shall  take  away  from 
John  in  Normandy  shall  be  mine,  but  all  of 
England  shall  be  yours." 

The  situation  of  the  country  of  Normandy, 
in  relation  to  France  and  to  England,  may  be 
seen  by  the  accompanying  map. 


24  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Arthur  is  defeated  and  made  prisoner. 

Philip  thought  that  he  could  easily  seize  a 
large  part  of  Normandy  and  annex  it  to  his  do- 
minions while  John  was  engaged  in  defending 
himself  against  Arthur  in  England. 

Arthur,  who  was  at  this  time  only  about 
fourteen  years  old,  was,  of  course,  too  young  to 
exercise  any  judgment  in  respect  to  such  ques- 
tions as  these,  so  he  readily  agreed  to  what 
Philip  proposed,  and  very  soon  afterward  Philip 
assembled  an  army,  and,  placing  Arthur  nom- 
inally at  the  head  of  it,  he  sent  him  forth  into 
Normandy  to  commence  the  war  upon  John. 
Of  course,  Arthur  was  only  nominally  at  the 
head  of  the  army.  There  were  old  and  expe- 
rienced generals  who  really  had  the  command, 
though  they  did  every  thing  in  Arthur's  name. 

A  long  war  ensued,  but  in  the  end  Arthur's 
army  was  defeated,  and  Arthur  himself  was 
made  prisoner.  John  and  his  savage  soldiery 
got  possession  of  the  town  where  Arthur  was 
in  the  night,  and  they  seized  the  poor  boy  in 
his  bed.  The  soldiers  took  him  away  with  a 
troop  of  horse,  and  shut  him  up  in  a  dungeon 
in  a  famous  castle  called  the  castle  of  Falaise. 
You  will  see  the  position  of  Falaise  on  the  map. 

After  a  while  John  determined  to  visit  Ar- 
thur in  his  prison,  in  order  to  see  if  he  could 
not  make  some  terms  with  him.  To  accom- 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       25 

John  attempts  to  induce  Arthur  to  abdicate. 

plish  his  purpose  more  effectually,  he  waited 
some  time,  till  he  thought  the  poor  boy's  spirit 
must  be  broken  down  by  his  confinement  and 
his  sufferings.  His  design  was  probably  to 
make  terms  with  him  by  offering  him  his  lib- 
erty, and  perhaps  some  rich  estate,  if  he  would 
only  give  up  his  claims  to  the  crown  and  ac- 
knowledge John  as  king;  but  he  found  that 
Arthur,  young  as  he  was,  and  helpless  as  was 
his  condition  in  his  lonely  dungeon,  remained 
in  heart  entirely  unsubdued.  All  that  he  would 
say  in  answer  to  John's  proposal  was,  "Give 
me  back  my  kingdom."  At  length,  John,  find- 
ing that  he  could  not  induce  the  prince  to  give 
up  his  claims,  went  away  in  a  rage,  and  determ- 
ined to  kill  him.  If  Arthur  were  dead,  there 
would  then,  he  thought,  be  no  farther  difficulty, 
for  all  acknowledged  that  after  Arthur  he  him- 
self was  the  next  heir. 

There  was  another  way,  too,  by  which  John 
might  become  the  rightful  heir  to  the  crown. 
It  was  a  prevalent  idea  in  those  days  that  no 
person  who  was  blind,  or  deaf,  or  dumb  could 
inherit  a  crown.  To  blind  young  Arthur,  then, 
would  be  as  effectual  a  means  of  extinguishing 
his  claims  as  to  kill  him,  and  John  accordingly 
determined  to  destroy  the  young  prince's  right 
to  the  succession  by  putting  out  his  eyes;  so 


26  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Account  of  the  assassination  of  Arthur. 

he  sent  two  executioners  to  perform  this  cruel 
deed  upon  the  captive  in  his  dungeon. 

The  name  of  the  governor  of  the  castle  was 
Hubert.  He  was  a  kind  and  humane  man, 
and  he  pitied  his  unhappy  prisoner;  and  so, 
when  the  executioners  came,  and  Hubert  went 
to  the  cell  to  tell  Arthur  that  they  had  come, 
and  what  they  had  come  for,  Arthur  fell  on  his 
knees  before  him  and  began  to  beg  for  mercy, 
crying  out,  Save  me !  oh,  save  me !  with  such 
piteous  cries  that  Hubert's  heart  was  moved 
with  compassion,  and  he  concluded  that  he 
would  put  off  the  execution  of  the  dreadful 
deed  till  he  could  see  the  king  again. 

John  was  very  angry  when  he  found  that  his 
orders  had  not  been  obeyed,  and  he  immediately 
determined  to  send  Arthur  to  another  prison, 
which  was  in  the  town  of  Rouen,  the  keeper 
of  which  he  knew  to  be  an  unscrupulous  and 
merciless  man.  This  was  done,  and  soon  after- 
ward it  was  given  out  through  all  the  kingdom 
that  Arthur  was  dead.  Every  body  was  con- 
vinced that  John  had  caused  him  to  be  murder- 
ed. There  were  several  different  rumors  in  re- 
spect to  the  way  in  which  the  deed  was  done. 
One  story  was  that  John,  being  at  Rouen,  where 
Arthur  was  imprisoned,  after  having  become 
excited  with  the  wine  which  he  had  drunk  at  a 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       27 

Various  accounts  of  the  mode  of  Arthur's  death. 

carousal,  went  and  killed  Arthur  himself  with 
hi?  own  hand,  and  that  he  then  ordered  his  body 
to  be  thrown  into  the  Seine,  with  heavy  stones 
tied  to  the  feet  to  make  it  sink.  The  body, 
however,  afterward,  they  said,  rose  to  the  sur- 
face and  floated  to  the  shore,  where  some  monks 
found  it,  and  buried  it  secretly  in  their  abbey. 

Another  story  was  that  John  pretended  to  be 
reconciled  to  Arthur,  and  took  him  out  one  day 
to  ride  with  him,  with  other  horsemen.  Pres- 
ently John  rode  on  with  Arthur  in  advance  of 
the  party,  until  late  in  the  evening  they  came 
to  a  solitary  place  where  there  was  a  high  cliff 
overhanging  the  sea.  Here  John  drew  his 
sword,  and,  riding  up  to  Arthur,  suddenly  ran. 
him  through  the  body.  Arthur  cried  aloud, 
and  begged  for  mercy  as  he  fell  from  his  horse 
to  the  ground ;  but  John  dragged  him  to  the 
edge  of  the  precipice,  and  threw  him  over  into 
the  sea  while  he  was  yet  alive  and  breathing. 

A  third  story  was  that  John  had  determined 
that  Arthur  must  die,  and  that  he  came  himself 
one  night  to  the  castle  where  Arthur  was  con- 
fined in  Rouen  on  the  Seine.  A  man  went  up 
to  Arthur's  room,  and,  waking  him  from  his 
sleep,  directed  him  to  rise. 

"  Rise,"  said  he,  "  and  come  with  me." 

Arthur  rose,  and  followed  his  guard  with  fear 


28  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Uncertainty  in  respect  to  these  stories. 

and  trembling.  They  descended  the  staircase 
to  the  foot  of  the  tower,  where  there  was  a  por- 
tal that  opened  close  upon  the  river.  On  going 
out,  Arthur  found  that  there  was  a  boat  there 
at  the  stairs,  with  his  uncle  and  some  other  men 
in  it.  Arthur  at  once  understood  what  these 
things  meant,  and  was  greatly  terrified.  He 
fell  on  his  knees,  and  begged  his  uncle  to  spare 
his  life ;  but  John  gave  a  sign,  and  Arthur  was 
stabbed,  and  then  taken  out  a  little  way  and 
thrown  into  the  river.  Some  say  that  John 
killed  him  and  threw  him  into  the  river  with 
his  own  hand. 

Which  of  these  tales  is  true,  if  either  of  them 
is  so,  can  now  probably  never  be  known.  All 
that  is  certain  is  that  John  in  some  way  or  other 
caused  Arthur  to  be  murdered  in  order  to  re- 
move him  out  of  the  way.  He  j  ustified  his  claim 
to  the  crown  by  pretending  that  King  Rich- 
ard, his  brother,  on  his  death-bed,  bequeath- 
ed the  kingdom  to  him,  but  this  nobody  be- 
lieves. 

At  any  rate,  John  obtained  possession  of  the 
crown,  and  he  reigned  many  years.  His  reign, 
however,  was  a  very  troubled  one.  His  title, 
indeed,  after  Arthur's  death,  was  no  longer  dis- 
puted, but  he  was  greatly  abhorred  and  hated 
for  his  cruelties  and  crimes,  and  at  length  near- 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS. 


29 


Portrait  of  King  John. 


League  formed  against  him  by  MB  barons. 


KING   JOHN. 


ly  all  the  barons  of  his  realm  banded  them- 
selves together  against  him,  with  the  view  of  re- 
ducing his  power  as  king  within  more  reasona- 
ble bounds. 

The  king  fought  these  rebels,  as  he  called  them, 
for  some  time,  but  he  was  continually  beaten, 
and  finally  compelled  to  yield  to  them.  They 
wrote  out  their  demands  in  a  full  and  formal 
manner  upon  parchment,  and  compelled  the 
king  to  sign  it.  This  document  was  called  the 


.30  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Magna  Charts.     Runny  Mead.      The  agreement  afterward  repudiated 

MAGNA  CHARTA,  which  means  the  great  char- 
ter. The  signing  and  delivering  this  deed  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  important  events  in 
English  history.  It  was  the  first  great  covenant 
that  was  made  between  the  kings  and  the  peo- 
ple of  England,  and  the  stipulations  of  it  have 
been  considered  binding  to  this  day,  so  that  it 
is,  in  some  sense,  the  original  basis  and  founda- 
tion of  the  civil  rights  which  the  British  people 
now  enjoy. 

The  place  of  assembly  where  King  John  came 
out  to  sign  this  covenant  was  a  broad  and  beau- 
tiful meadow  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  not 
far  from  Windsor  Castle.  The  name  of  the  field 
is  Runny  Mead.  The  word  mead  is  a  contrac- 
tion for  meadow. 

The  act  of  once  signing  such  a  compact  as 
this  was,  however,  not  sufficient,  it  seems,  to  bind 
the  English  kings.  There  were  a  great  many 
disputes  and  contests  about  it  afterward  between 
the  kings  and  the  barons,  as  the  kings,  one  aft- 
er another,  refused  to  adhere  to  the  agreement 
made  by  John  in  their  name,  on  the  ground, 
perhaps,  of  the  deed  not  being  a  voluntary  one* 
on  his  part.  He  was  forced  to  sign  it,  they  said, 
because  the  barons  were  stronger  than  he  was. 
Of  course,  when  the  kings  thought  that  they,  in 
their  turn,  were  stronger  than  the  barons,  they 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       31 

New  wars.  New  ratifications  of  Magna  Charta. 

were  very  apt  to  violate  the  agreement.  One 
of  the  kings  on  one  occasion  obtained  a  dispen- 
sation from  the  Pope,  absolving  him  from  all 
obligation  to  fulfill  this  compact. 

In  consequence  of  this  want  of  good  faith  on 
the  part  of  the  kings,  there  arose  continually 
new  quarrels,  and  sometimes  new  civil  wars, 
between  the  kings  and  the  barons.  In  these 
contests  the  barons  were  usually  successful  in 
the  end,  and  then  they  always  insisted  on  the 
vanquished  monarch's  ratifying  or  signing  the 
Magna  Charta  anew.  It  is  said  that  in  this 
way  it  was  confirmed  and  re-established  not  less 
than  thirty  times  in  the  course  of  four  or  five 
reigns,  and  thus  it  became  at  last  the  settled 
and  unquestioned  law  of  the  land.  The  power 
of  the  kings  of  England  has  been  restricted 
and  controlled  by  its  provisions  ever  since. 

All  this  took  place  in  the  reigns  preceding 
the  accession  of  Richard  II. 

Besides  these  contests  with  the  barons,  the 
kings  of  those  times  were  often  engaged  in  .con- 
tentions with  the  people ;  but  the  people,  hav- 
ing no  means  of  combining  together  or  other- 
wise organizing  their  resistance,  were  almost 
always  compelled  to  submit.  They  were  often 
oppressed  and  maltreated  in,  the  most  cruel 
manner.  The  great  object  of  the  government 


32  KING  RICHARD   IT. 

Cruelties  and  oppressions  practiced  upon  the  Jews. 

seems  to  have  been  to  extort  money  from  them 
in  every  possible  way,  and  to  this  end  taxes 
and  imposts  were  levied  upon  them  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  leave  them  enough  only  for  bare 
subsistence.  The  most  cruel  means  were  often 
resorted  to  to  compel  the  payment  of  these 
taxes.  The  unhappy  Jews  were  the  special 
subjects  of  these  extortions.  The  Jews  in  Eu- 
rope were  at  this  time  generally  excluded  from 
almost  every  kind  of  business  except  buying 
and  selling  movable  property,  and  lending 
money ;  but  by  these  means  many  of  them  be- 
came very  rich,  and  their  property  was  of  such 
a  nature  that  it  could  be  easily  concealed.  This 
led  to  a  great  many  cases  of  cruelty  in  the  treat- 
ment of  them  by  the  government.  The  gov- 
ernment pretended  often  that  they  were  richer 
than  they  really  were,  while  they  themselves 
pretended  that  they  were  poorer  than  they 
were,  and  the  government  resorted  to  the  most 
lawless  and  atrocious  measures  sometimes  to 
compel  them  to  pay.  The  following  extract 
from  one  of  the  historians  of  the  time  gives  an 
example  of  this  cruelty,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
furnishes  the  reader  with  a  specimen  of  the 
quaint  and  curious  style  of  composition  and  or- 
thography in  which  the  chronicles  of  those 
days  are  written. 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       33 

Extract,  from  the  old  chronicles.  Absurd  accusations. 

JFurttermore,  about  tte  same  tfme,  tte  fefng  tareto  tte 
$etoes,  anfc  greeuouslfe  tormented  anto  emprfsoneto  tfcem 
bfcause  tubers  of  tljcm  tooultt  not  tofllfnglfe  pai?  tl)t 
summes  ttat  tbeg  toere  tareto  at.  amongst  otter,  tjjere 
toas  one  of  tftem  at  Urfstoto  tolio  tooulto  not  consent  to 
jjfbe  anj  fine  for  fjfs  toelfberance  ;  tofteref ore  fis  tfte  fcfnjj's 
commantiment  fte  toas  jut  bnto  tfjfs  penance,  namelj, 
ttat  eurfe  toafe,  tfll  fte  tooulU  agree  to  flfbe  to  tfte  fcfng 
tijose  ten  ttjousanti  marfes  ttjat  Ije  toas  sfejeU  at,  ije  tooulti 
|)aue  one  of  fits  teetf)  plurtvrt  out  of  fits  heat).  iSi,'  tije 
space  of  seaun  toafes  togftter  lie  stooti  stcUfnst,  losfng 
euerle  of  tfjose  liajs  a  tootl).  But  on  tfte  efattf)  Tjaj,  toften 
he  sfiult)  come  to  Iinuc  tbe  eijjljti)  tooti),  ant)  tlic  last  (for 
!>e  tali  but  efflftt  In  all),  liraun  out,  te  pafO  tfte  monfe  to 
saue  ttat,  tofio  toftt  more  tofseDome  anD  less  pafne  mfgtt 
taue  tone  so  before,  anH  so  Iinuc  sabeT)  Iji's  seuen  teetf) 
toljfcfj  lie  lost  tottt  suet  torments;  for  ttose  tomclfe 
tootbtorauers  bseti  no  great  cunnfng  in  plbcftfng  tbera 
fovtf),  as  ma$  be  conjectured. 

The  poor  Jews  were  entirely  at  the  mercy 
of  the  king  in  these  cases,  for  they  were  so 
much  hated  and  despised  by  the  Christian  peo- 
ple of  the  land  that  nobody  was  disposed  to  de- 
fend them,  either  by  word  or  deed,  whatever 
injustice  or  cruelty  they  might  suffer.  The 
most  absurd  and  injurious  charges  were  made 
against  them  by  common  rumor,  and  were  gen- 
erally believed,  for  there  was  nobody  to  defend 
them.  There  was  a  story,  for  example,  that 
they  were  accustomed  every  year  to  crucify  a 
Christian  child.  One  year  a  mother,  having 
8—3 


34  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  story  of  the  crucified  child.  John  Lezinton. 

missed  her  child,  searched  every  where  for  him, 
and  at  length  found  him  dead  in  the  bottom  of 
a  well.  It  was  recollected  that  a  short  time  be- 
fore the  child  disappeared  he  had  been  seen 
playing  with  some  Jewish  children  before  the 
door  of  a  house  where  a  certain  Jew  lived,  call- 
ed John  Lexinton.  The  story  was  immediate- 
ly circulated  that  this  child  had  been  taken  by 
the  Jews  and  crucified.  It  was  supposed,  of 
•course,  that  John  Lexinton  was  intimately  con 
nected  with  the  crime.  He  was  immediately 
seized  by  the  officers,  and  he  was  so  terrified  by 
their  threats  and  denunciations  that  he  prom- 
ised to  confess  every  thing  if  they  would  spare 
his  life.  This  they  engaged  to  do,  and  he  ac- 
cordingly made  what  he  called  his  confession. 
In  consequence  of  this  confession  a  hundred 
and  two  Jews  were  apprehended,  and  carried  to 
London  and  shut  up  in  the  Tower. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  confession  that  John 
Lexinton  had  made  and  the  promise  that  was 
given  him,  it  was  determined  that  he  should  not 
be  spared,  but  should  die.  Upon  hearing  this 
lie  was  greatly  distressed,  and  he  offered  to 
make  more  confessions ;  so  he  revealed  several 
additional  particulars  in  regard  to  the  crime, 
and  implicated  numerous  other  persons  in  the 
commission  of  it.  All  was,  however,  of  no 


RICHARD'S  PREDECESSORS.       35 

Confessions  extorted  by  torture.      Injustice  and  cruelty  of  the  practice. 

avail.  He  was  executed,  and  eighteen  other 
Jews  with  him. 

Judging  from  the  evidence  which  we  have 
in  this  case,  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  al- 
leged crime  was  wholly  imaginary.  Confes- 
sions that  are  extorted  by  pain  or  fear  are  never 
to  be  believed.  They  may  be  true,  but  they 
are  far  more  likely  to  be  false.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom in  ancient  times,  and  it  still  remains  the 
custom  among  many  ignorant  and  barbarous 
nations,  to  put  persons  to  torture  in  order  to 
compel  them  to  confess  crimes  of  which  they 
are  suspected,  or  to  reveal  the  names  of  their 
accomplices,  but  nothing  can  be  more  cruel  or 
unjust  than  such  a  practice  as  this.  Most  men, 
in  such  cases,  are  so  maddened  with  their  agony 
and  terror  that  they  will  say  any  thing  what- 
ever that  they  think  will  induce  their  torment- 
ors to  put  an  end  to  their  sufferings. 

The  common  people  could  not  often  resist 
the  acts  of  oppression  which  they  suffered  from 
their  rulers,  for  they  had  no  power,  and  they 
could  not  combine  together  extensively  enough 
to  create  a  power,  and  so  they  were  easily  kept 
in  subjection. 

The  nobles,  however,  were  much  less  afraid 
of  the  monarchs,  and  often  resisted  them  and 
bid  them  defiance.  It  was  the  Jaw  in  those 


36  KING  EICHARD  IL 

Anecdotes  of  the  nobles  and  the  king. 

days  that  all  estates  to  which  no  other  person 
had  a  legal  claim  escheated,  as  they  called  it,  to 
the  king.  Of  course,  if  the  king  could  find  an 
estate  in  which  there  was  any  flaw  in  the  title 
of  the  man  who  held  it,  he  would  claim  it  for 
his  own.  At  one  time  a  king  asked  a  certain 
baron  to  show  him  the  title  to  his  estate.  He 
was  intending  to  examine  it,  to  see  if  there  was 
any  flaw  in  it.  The  baron,  instead  of  producing 
his  parchment,  drew  his  sword  and  held  it  out 
before  the  king. 

"This  is  my  title  to  my  estate,"  said  he. 
"Your  majesty  will  remember  that  William 
of  Normandy  did  not  conquer  this  realm  for 
himself  alone." 

At  another  time  a  king  wished  to  send  two 
of  his  earls  out  of  the  country  on  some  military 
expedition  where  they  did  not  wish  to  go. 
They  accordingly  declined  the  undertaking. 

"By  the  Almighty,"  said  the  king,  "you 
shall  either  go  or  hang." 

"  By  the  Almighty,"  replied  one  of  the  earls, 
•"  we  will  neither  go  nor  hang." 

The  nobles  also  often  formed  extensive  and 
powerful  combinations  among  each  other  against 
the  king,  and  in  such  cases  they  were  almost 
always  successful  in  bringing  him  to  submit 
to  their  demands. 


I 


QUARRELS.  37 

Classes  of  quarrels  in  which  the  kings  and  the  people  were  engaged. 


CHAPTER  II. 
QUARRELS. 

N  the  days  of  the  predecessors  of  King  Kich- 
ard  the  Second,  notwithstanding  the  claim, 
made  by  the  kings  of  a  right  on  their  part  to 
reign  on  account  of  the  influence  exercised  by 
their  government  in  promoting  law  and  order 
throughout  the  community,  the  country  was  re- 
ally kept  in  a  continual  state  of  turmoil  by  the 
quarrels  which  the  different  parties  concerned 
in  this  government  were  engaged  in  with  each 
other  and  with  surrounding  nations.  These 
quarrels  were  of  various  kinds. 

1.  The  kings,  as  we  have  already  seen,  were 
perpetually  quarreling  with  the  nobles. 

2.  The  different  branches  of  the  royal  family 
were  often  engaged  in  bitter  and  cruel  wars 
with  each  other,  arising  from  their  conflicting 
claims  to  the  crown. 

3.  The  kings  of  different  countries  were  con- 
tinually making  forays  into  each  other's  terri- 
tories, or  waging  war  against  each  other  with 
fire  and  sword.     These  wars  arose  sometimes 
from  a  lawless  spirit  of  depredation,  and  some- 


38  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  Pope.  Hia  claim  of  jurisdiction  in  England. 

times  were  waged  to  resent  personal  insults  or 
injuries,  real  or  imaginary. 

4.  The  Pope  of  Rome,  who  claimed  jurisdic- 
tion over  the  Church  in  England  as  well  as  else- 
where, was  constantly  coming  into  collision  with 
the  civil  power. 

From  some  one  or  other  of  these  several 
causes,  the  kingdom  of  England,  in  the  time  of 
Richard's  predecessors,  was  seldom  at  peace. 
Some  great  quarrel  or  other  was  continually 
going  on.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  difficulty 
during  the  reigns  that  immediately  preceded 
that  of  Richard  the  Second  between  the  kings 
and  the  Pope.  The  Pope,  as  has  already  been 
remarked,  was  considered  the  head  of  the  whole 
Christian  Church,  and  he  claimed  rights  in  re- 
spect to  the  appointment  of  the  archbishops,  and 
bishops,  and  other  ecclesiastics  in  England,  and 
in  respect  to  the  government  and  control  of  the 
monasteries,  and  the  abbeys,  and  to  the  appro- 
priation and  expenditure  of  the  revenues  of  the 
Church,  which  sometimes  interfered  very  seri- 
ously with  the  views  and  designs  of  the  king. 
Hence  there  arose  continual  disputes  and  quar- 
rels. The  Pope  never  came  himself  to  England, 
but  he  often  sent  a  grand  embassador,  called  a 
legate,  who  traveled  with  great  pomp  and  pa- 
rade, and  with  many  attendants,  and  assumed 


QUARRELS.  39 

The  Pope's  legate  and  the  students  at  Oxford. 

in  all  his  doings  a  most  lofty  and  superior  air. 
In  the  contests  in  which  these  legates  were  en- 
gaged with  the  kings,  the  legates  almost  always 
came  off  conquerors  through  the  immense  influ- 
ence .which  the  Pope  exercised  over  the  con- 
sciences and  religious  fears  of  the  mass  of  the 
people. 

Sometimes  the  visits  of  the  legates  and  their 
proceedings  among  the  people  led  to  open  broils. 
At  one  time,  for  instance,  the  legate  was  at  Ox- 
ford, where  the  great  University,  now  so  renown- 
ed throughout  the  world,  already  existed.  He 
was  lodged  at  an  abbey  there,  and  some  of  the 
scholars  of  the  University  wishing  to  pay  their 
respects  to  him,  as  they  said,  went  in  a  body  to 
the  gates  of  the  abbey  and  demanded  admission ; 
but  the  porter  kept  them  back  and  refused  to- 
let  them  in.  Upon  this  a  great  noise  and  tu- 
mult arose,  the  students  pressing  against  the 
gates  to  get  in,  and  the  porter,  assisted  by  the 
legate's  men,  whom  he  called  to  his  assistance, 
resisting  them. 

In  the  course  of  the  fray  one  or  two  of  the 
students  succeeded  in  forcing  their  way  in  as 
far  as  to  the  kitchen  of  the  abbey,  and  there  one 
of  them  called  upon  a  cook  to  help  them.  But 
the  cook,  instead  of  helping  them,  dipped  out  a 
ladle  full  of  hot  broth  from  a  kettle  and  threw 


40  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Great  riot  made  by  the  students. 

it  into  the  student's  face.  Whereupon  the  other 
students  cried  out,  as  the  ancient  chronicler  re- 
lates it,  "  What  meane  we  to  suffer  this  villanie," 
and,  taking  an  arrow,  he  set  it  in  his  bow,  hav- 
ing caught  up  these  weapons  in  the  beginning 
of  the  fray,  and  let  it  fly  at  the  cook,  and  killed 
him  on  the  spot. 

This,  of  course,  greatly  increased  the  excite- 
ment. More  students  came  in,  and  so  great  was 
the  tumult  and  confusion  that  the  legate  was  in 
terror  for  his  life,  and  he  fled  and  concealed  him- 
self in  the  belfry  of  the  abbey.  After  lying  in 
this  place  of  concealment  for  some  time,  until 
the  tumult  was  in  some  measure  appeased,  he 
crept  out  secretly,  fled  across  the  Thames,  and 
then,  mounting  a  horse,  made  the  best  of  hi? 
way  to  London. 

He  made  complaint  to  the  king  of  the  indig- 
nity which  he  had  endured,  and  the  king  imme- 
diately sent  a  troop  of  armed  men,  with  an  earl 
at  the  head  of  them,  to  rescue  the  remainder  of 
the  legate's  men  that  were  still  imprisoned  in  the 
abbey,  and  also  to  seize  all  the  students  that  had 
been  concerned  in  the  riot  and  bring  them  to 
London.  The  earl  proceeded  to  execute  his 
commission.  He  apprehended  thirty  of  the  stu- 
dents, and,  taking  them  to  a  neighboring  castle, 
he  shut  them  up  there  as  prisoners. 


QUARRELS.  41 

The  end  of  the  affair.  Plan  to  assassinate  the  king. 

In  the  end,  besides  punishing  the  individual 
students  who  had  made  this  disturbance,  the  re- 
gents and  masters  of  the  University  were  com- 
pelled to  come  to  London,  and  there  to  go  bare- 
footed through  the  principal  street  to  a  church 
where  the  legate  was,  and  humbly  to  supplicate 
his  forgiveness  for  the  indignity  which  he  had 
suffered.  And  so,  with  great  difficulty,  they  ob- 
tained their  pardon. 

The  students  in  those  days,  as  students  are 
apt  to  be  in  all  countries  and  in  all  ages,  were 
a  very  irrfpulsive,  and,  in  some  respects,  a  law- 
less set.  Whenever  they  deemed  themselves 
injured,  they  pursued  the  object  of  their  hostil- 
ity in  the  most  reckless  and  relentless  manner. 
At  one  time  a  member  of  the  University  became 
so  excited  against  the  king  on  account  of  some 
injury,  real  or  imaginary,  which  he  had  suffer- 
ed, that  he  resolved  to  kill  him.  So  he  feigned 
himself  mad,  and  in  this  guise  he  loitered  many 
days  about  the  palace  of  Woodstock,  where  the 
king  was  then  residing,  until  at  length  he  be- 
came well  acquainted  with  all  the  localities. 
Then,  watching  his  opportunity,  he  climbed  by 
night  through  a  window  into  a  bedchamber 
where  he  thought  the  king  was  lying.  He  crept 
up  to  the  bedside,  and,  throwing  back  the  clothes, 
he  stabbed  several  times  into  the  bed  with  a 


42  KING  KICHAKD  II. 

Margaret,  the  servant-girl.  Execution  of  Marish. 

dagger.  He,  however,  stabbed  nothing  but  the 
bed  itself,  and  the  pillow,  for  the  king  that  night, 
as  it  happened,  lay  in  another  chamber. 
;  As  the  student  was  making  his  escape,  he  was 
spied  by  one  of  the  chambermaids  named  Mar- 
garet Biset.  Margaret  immediately  made  a 
great  outcry,  and  the  other  servants,  coming  up, 
seized  the  student  and  carried  him  off  to  prison. 
He  was  afterward  tried,  and  was  convicted  of 
treason  in  having  made  an  attempt  upon  the 
king's  life,  and  was  hanged.  Before  his  death 
he  said  that  he  had  been  employed  to  kill  the 
king  by  another  man,  a  certain  William  de  Mar- 
ish, who  was  a  noted  and  prominent  man  of 
those  days.  This  William  de  Marish  was  aft- 
erward taken  and  brought  to  trial,  but  he  sol- 
emnly denied  that  he  had  ever  instigated  the 
student  to  commit  the  crime.  He  was,  how- 
ever, condemned  and  executed,  and,  according 
to  the  custom  in  those  days  in  the  case  of  per- 
sons convicted  of  treason,  his  body  was  subject- 
ed after  his  death  to  extreme  indignities,  and 
then  was  divided  into  four  quarters,  one  of 
which  was  sent  to  each  of  the  four  principal  cit- 
ies of  the  kingdom,  and  publicly  exhibited  in 
them  as  a  warning  to  all  men  of  the  dreadful 
consequences  of  attempting  such  a  crime. 
Great  pains  were  taken  in  those  days  to  in- 


QUARRELS.  43 

Ideas  of  the  sacredness  of  the  person  of  a  king. 

still  into  the  minds  of  all  men  the  idea  that  to 
kill  a  king  was  the  worst  crime  that  a  human 
being  could  commit.  One  of  the  writers  of  the 
time  said  that  in  wounding  and  killing  a  prince 
a  man  was  guilty  of  homicide,  parricide,  Christ- 
icide,  and  even  of  deicide,  all  in  one ;  that  is, 
that  in  the  person  of  a  king  slain  by  the  hand 
of  the  murderer  the  criminal  strikes  not  only 
at  a  man,  but  at  his  own  father,  and  at  Christ 
his  Savior,  and  God. 

A  great  many  strange  and  superstitious  no- 
tions were  entertained  by  the  people  in  respect 
to  kings.  These  superstitions  were  encouraged, 
even  by  the  scholars  and  historians  of  those 
times,  who  might  be  supposed  to  know  better. 
But  it  was  so  much  for  their  interest  to  write 
what  should  be  agreeable  to  the  king  and  to 
his  court,  that  they  were  by  no  means  scrupu- 
lous in  respect  to  the  tales  which  they  told,  pro- 
vided they  were  likely  to  be  pleasing  to  those 
in  authority,  and  to  strengthen  the  powers  and 
prestige  of  the  reigning  families. 

The  neighboring  countries  with  which  the 
kings  of  England  were  most  frequently  at  war 
in  those  days  were  Scotland,  Wales,  and  France. 
These  wars  arose,  not  from  any  causes  connect- 
ed with  the  substantial  interests  of  the  people  of 


44  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Origin  of  the  wars  with  Leolin,  Prince  of  Wales. 

England,  but  from  the  grasping  ambition  of  the 
kings,  who  wished  to  increase  the  extent  of  their 
territories,  and  thus  add  to  their  revenues  and 
to  their  power.  Sometimes  their  wars  arose 
from  private  and  personal  quarrels,  and  in  these 
cases  thousands  of  lives  were  often  sacrificed, 
and  great  sums  of  money  expended  to  revenge 
slights  or  personal  injuries  of  comparatively  lit- 
tle consequence. 

For  instance,  one  of  the  wars  with  Wales 
broke  out  in  this  manner.  Leolin,  who  was 
then  the  reigning  Prince  of  Wales,  sent  to 
France,  and  requested  the  King  of  France  that 
he  might  have  in  marriage  a  certain  lady  named 
Lady  Eleanor,  who  was  then  residing  in  the 
French  king's  court.  The  motive  of  Leolin  in 
making  this  proposal  was  not  that  he  bore  any 
love  for  the  Lady  Eleanor,  for  very  likely  he 
had  never  seen  her ;  but  she  was  the  daughter 
of  an  English  earl  named  Montfort,  Earl  of  Lei- 
cester, who  was  an  enemy  of  the  King  of  En- 
gland, and,  having  been  banished  from  the  coun- 
try, had  taken  refuge  in  France.  Leolin  thought 
that  by  proposing  and  carrying  into  effect  this 
marriage,  he  would  at  once  gratify  the  King  of 
France  and  spite  the  King  of  England. 

The  King  of  France  at  once  assented  to  the 
proposed  marriage,  but  the  King  of  England 


QUARRELS.  45 

Leolin's  bride  intercepted  at  sea. 

was  extremely  angry,  and  he  determined  to  pre- 
vent the  marriage  if  he  could.  He  accordingly 
gave  the  necessary  orders,  and  the  little  fleet 
which  was  sent  from  France  to  convey  Eleanor 
to  Wales  was  intercepted  off  the  Scilly  Islands 
on  the  way,  'and  the  whole  bridal  party  were 
taken  prisoners  and  sent  to  London. 

As  soon  as  Leolin  heard  this,  he,  of  course, 
was  greatly  enraged,  and  he  immediately  set  off 
with  an  armed  troop,  and  made  a  foray  upon 
the  English  frontiers,  killing  all  the  people  that 
lived  near  the  border,  plundering  their  proper- 
ty, and  burning  up  all  the  towns  and  villages 
that  came  in  his  way.  There  followed  a  long 
war.  The  English  were,  on  the  whole,  the  vic- 
tors in  the  war,  and  at  the  end  of  it  a  treaty  was 
made  by  which  Leolin's  wife,  it  is  true,  was  re- 
stored to  him,  but  his  kingdom  was  brought  al- 
most completely  under  the  power  of  the  En- 
glish kings. 

Of  course,  Leolin  was  extremely  dissatisfied 
with  this  result,  and  he  became  more  and  more 
uneasy  in  the  enthralled  position  to  which  the 
English  king  had  reduced  him,  and  finally  a 
new  war  broke  out.  Leolin  was  beaten  in  this 
war  too,  and  in  the  end,  in  a  desperate  battle 
that  was  fought  among  the  mountains,  he  was 
slain.  He  was  slain  near  the  beginning  of  the 


46  KING  EICHARD  II. 

The  unhappy  fate  of  Leolin.  Fate  of  Prince  David,  his  brother. 

battle.  The  man  who  killed  him  did  not  know 
at  the  time  who  it  was  that  he  had  killed,  though 
he  knew  from  his  armor  that  he  was  some  dis- 
tinguished personage  or  other.  When  the  bat- 
tle was  ended  this  man  went  back  to  the  place 
to  see,  and,  finding  that  it  was  the  Prince  Leolin 
whom  he  had  slain,  he  was  greatly  pleased.  He 
cut  off  the  head  from  the  body,  and  sent  it  as  a 
present  to  the  king.  The  king  sent  the  head  to 
London,  there  to  be  paraded  through  the  streets 
on  the  end  of  a  long  pole  as  a  token  of  victory. 
After  being  carried  in  this  manner  through 
Cheapside — then  the  principal  street  of  London 
— in  order  that  it  might  be  gazed  upon  by  all 
the  people,  it  was  set  up  on  a  high  pole  near  the 
Tower,  and  there  remained  a  long  time,  a  trophy, 
as  the  king  regarded  it,  of  the  glory  and  renown 
of  a  victory,  but  really  an  emblem  of  cruel  in- 
justice and  wrong  perpetrated  by  a  strong 
against  a  weaker  neighbor. 

Not  long  after  this  the  King  of  England  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  Prince  David,  the  brother  of 
Leolin,  and,  under  the  pretense  that  he  had  been 
guilty  of  treason,  he  cut  off  his  head  too,  and  set 
it  up  on  another  pole  at  the  Tower  of  London, 
by  the  side  of  his  brother's. 

It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that,  although 
these  ancient  warriors  were  generally  extremely 


QUARRELS.  47 

Occasional  acts  of  generosity. 

unjust  in  their  dealings  with  each  other,  and 
often  barbarously  cruel,  they  were  still  some- 
times actuated  by  high  and  noble  sentiments  of 
honor  and  generosity.  On  one  occasion,  for  in- 
stance, when  this  same  Edward  the  First,  who 
was  so  cruel  in  his  treatment  of  Leolin,  was  at 
war  in  Scotland,  and  was  besieging  a  castle 
there,  he  wrote  one  day  certain  dispatches  to 
send  to  his  council  in  London,  and,  having  in- 
quired for  a  speedy  and  trusty  messenger  to  send 
them  by,  a  certain  Welshman  named  Lewin  was 
sent  to  him.  The  king  delivered  the  package 
to  Lewin  inclosed  in  a  box,  and  also  gave  him 
money  to  bear  his  expenses  on  the  way,  and 
then  sent  him  forth. 

Lewin,  however,  instead  of  setting  out  on  his 
journey,  went  to  a  tavern,  and  there,  with  a 
party  of  his  companions,  he  spent  the  money 
which  he  had  received  in  drink,  and  passed  the 
night  carousing.  In  the  morning  he  said  that 
he  must  set  out  on  his  journey,  but  before  he 
went  he  must  go  back  to  the  castle  and  have 
one  parting  shot  at  the  garrison.  Under  this 
pretext,  he  took  his  cross-bow  and  proceeded 
toward  the  castle  wall ;  but  when  he  got  there, 
instead  of  shooting  his  arrows,  he  called  out  ,to 
the  wardens  whom  he  saw  on  guard  over  the 
gate,  and  asked  them  to  let  down  a  rope  and 


48  KING  EICHARD  IL 

Story  of  Lewin  and  the  box  of  dispatches. 

draw  him  up  into  the  castle,  as  he  had  some- 
thing of  great  importance  to  communicate  to  the 
governor  of  it. 

So  the  wardens  let  down  a  rope  and  drew 
Lewin  up,  and  then  took  him  to  the  governor, 
who  was  then  at  breakfast.  Lewin  held  out  the 
box  to  the  governor,  saying, 

"Here,  sir,  look  in  this  box,  and  you  may 
read  all  the  secrets  of  the  King  of  England." 

He  said,  moreover,  that  he  would  like  to  have 
the  governor  give  him  a  place  on  the  wall,  and 
see  whether  he  could  handle  a  cross-bow  or  not 
against  the  English  army. 

Gunpowder  and  guns  had  not  been  intro- 
duced as  means  of  warfare  at  this  time;  the 
most  formidable  weapon  that  was  then  employ- 
ed was  the  cross-bow.  With  the  cross-bow  a 
sort  of  square-headed  arrow  was  used  called  a 
quarrel. 

The  governor,  instead  of  accepting  these  of- 
fers on  the  part  of  Lewin,  immediately  went 
out  to  one  of  the  turrets  on  the  wall,  and,  call- 
ing to  the  English  soldiers  whom  he  saw  below, 
he  directed  them  to  tell  the  King  of  England 
that  one  of  his  servants  had  turned  traitor,  and 
had  come  into  the  castle  with  a  box  of  dis- 
patches. 

"And  tell  him,"  said  the  governor,  "that  if 


QUARRELS.  49 

The  fate  of  Lewin.  Origin  of  the  modern  title  of  Prince  of  Wales. 

he  will  send  some  persons  here  to  receive  himr 
I  will  let  the  man  down  to  them  over  the  wallr 
and  also  restore  the  box  of  dispatches,  which  I 
have  not  opened  at  all." 

Immediately  Lord  Spencer,  one  of  the  king's 
chief  officers,  came  to  the  wall,  and  the  governor 
of  the  castle  let  Lewin  down  to  him  by  a  rope, 
and  also  passed  the  box  of  letters  down.  The 
King  of  England  was  so  much  pleased  with 
this  generosity  on  the  part  of  the  governor  that 
he  immediately  ceased  his  operations  against 
the  castle,  though  he  caused  Lewin  to  be  hang- 
ed on  a  gallows  of  the  highest  kind. 

But  to  return  to  Wales.  After  the  death  of 
Leolin  and  his  brother  the  kingdom  of  Wales 
was  annexed  to  England,  and  has  ever  since  re- 
mained a  possession  of  the  British  crown.  The 
King  of  England  partly  induced  the  people  of 
Wales  to  consent  to  this  annexation  by  prom- 
ising that  he  would  still  give  them  a  native  of 
Wales  for  prince.  They  thought  he  meant  by 
this  that  they  should  continue  to  be  governed 
by  one  of  their  own  royal  family ;  but  what  he 
really  meant  was  that  he  would  make  his  own 
son  Prince  of  Wales.  This  son  of  his  was  then 
an  infant.  He  was  born  in  Wales.  This  hap- 
pened from  the  fact  that  the  king,  in  the  course 
8—4 


50  KING  EICHABD  II. 

The  firat  English  Prince  of  Wales.  Piers  Gaveaton, 

of  his  conquests  in  that  country,  had  seized 
upon  a  place  called  Caernarvon,  and  had  built 
a  castle  there,  in  a  beautiful  situation  on  the 
Straits  of  Menai,  which  separate  the  main  land 
from  the  isle  of  Anglesea. 

When  his  castle  was  finished  the  king  brought 
the  queen  to  Caernarvon  to  see  it,  and  while 
she  was  there,  her  child,  Prince  Edward,  who 
afterward  became  Edward  the  Second,  was  born. 

This  was  the  origin  of  the  title  of  Prince  of 
Wales,  which  has  been  held  ever  since  by  the 
oldest  sons  of  the  English  sovereigns. 

This  first  English  Prince  of  Wales  led  a  most 
unhappy  life,  and  his  history  illustrates  in  a 
most  striking  manner  one  of  the  classes  of  quar- 
rels enumerated  at  the  head  of  this  chapter, 
namely,  the  disputes  and  contentions  that  often 
prevailed  between  the  sovereign  of  the  country 
and  his  principal  nobles.  While  he  was  a  young 
man  he  formed  a  very  intimate  friendship  with 
another  young  man  named  Piers  Gaveston. 
This  Gaveston  was  a  remarkably  handsome 
youth,  and  very  prepossessing  and  agreeable  in 
his  manners,  and  he  soon  gained  a  complete  as- 
cendency over  the  mind  of  young  Edward.  He 
was,  however,  very  wild  and  dissolute  in  his 
habits,  and  the  influence  which  he  exerted  upon 
Edward  was  extremely  bad.  As  long  as  the 


QUARRELS.  58 

Edward  II.  and  his  favorite.  Their  wild  and  reckless  behavior. 

common  people  only  were  injured  by  the  law- 
less behavior  of  these  young  men,  the  king 
seems  to  have  borne  with  them ;  but  at  last,  in 
a  riot  in  which  they  were  concerned,  they  broke 
into  the  park  of  a  bishop,  and  committed  dam- 
age there  which  the  king  could  not  overlook. 
He  caused  his  son,  the  young  prince,  to  be  seized 
and  put  into  prison,  and  he  banished  Gaveston 
from  the  country,  and  forbade  his  son  to  have 
any  thing  more  to  do  with  him.  This  was  in 
1305,  when  the  prince  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age. 

In  1307,  two  years  later,  the  king  died,  and 
the  prince  succeeded  him,  under  the  title  of 
King  Edward  the  Second.  He  immediately 
sent  for  Gaveston  to  return  to  England,  where 
he  received  him  with  the  greatest  joy.  He 
made  him  a  duke,  under  the  title  of  Duke  of 
Cornwall ;  and  as  for  the  bishop  whose  park  he 
and  Gaveston  had  broken  into,  and  on  whose 
complaint  Gaveston  had  been  banished,  in  or- 
der to  punish  him  for  these  offenses,  the  young 
king  seized  him  and  delivered  him  into  Gav- 
eston's  hands  as  a  prisoner,  and  at  the  same 
time  confiscated  his  estates  and  gave  them  to 
Gaveston.  Gaveston  sent  the  bishop  about 
from  castle  to  castle  as  a  prisoner,  according  as 
his  caprice  or  fancy  dictated. 


54  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  king  goes  away  to  be  married. 

These  things  made  the  barons  and  nobles  of 
England  extremely  indignant,  for  Gaveston, 
besides  being  a  corrupt  and  dissipated  charac- 
ter, was,  in  fact,  a  foreigner  by  birth,  being  a 
native  of  Gascony,  in  France.  His  character 
seemed  to  grow  worse  with  his  exaltation,  and 
he  and  Edward  spent  all  their  time  in  rioting 
and  excess,  and  in  perpetrating  every  species 
of  iniquity. 

Edward  had  been  for  some  time  engaged  to 
be  married  to  the  Princess  Isabel,  the  daughter 
of  the  King  of  France.  About  six  months 
after  his  accession  to  the  throne  he  set  off  for 
France  to  be  married.  It  was  his  duty,  accord- 
ing to  the  ancient  usages  of  the  realm,  to  ap» 
point  some  member  of  the  royal  family,  or  some 
prominent  person  from  the  ancient  nobility  of 
the  country,  to  govern  the  kingdom  as  regent 
during  his  absence ;  but  instead  of  this  he  put 
Gaveston  in  this  place,  and  clothed  him  with 
all  the  powers  of  a  viceroy. 

Edward  was  married  to  Isabel  in  Paris  with 
great  pomp  and  parade.  Isabel  was  very  beau, 
tiful,  and  was  a  general  favorite.  It  is  said  that 
there  were  four  kings  and  three  queens  present 
at  the  marriage  ceremony.  Edward,  however, 
seemed  to  feel  very  little  interest  either  in  his 
bride  or  in  the  occasion  of  his  marriage,  but 


QUARRELS. 


55 


Edward's  indifference  on  the  occasion  of  his  marriage. 


PORTRAIT   OF   EDWARD   THE   SECOND. 


manifested  a  great  impatience  to  get  through 
with  the  ceremonies,  so  as  to  return  to  England 
and  to  Gaveston.  As  soon  as  it  was  possible, 
he  set  out  on  his  return.  The  bridal  party 
were  met  at  their  landing  by  Gaveston,  accom- 
panied by  all  the  principal  nobility,  who  came 


56  KING  RICHARD  II. 

His  infatuation  in  respect  to  Gaveston.  The  coronation. 

to  receive  and  welcome  them  at  the  frontier. 
The  king  was  overjoyed  to  see  Gaveston  again. 
He  fell  into  his  arms,  hugged  and  kissed  him, 
and  called  him  his  dear  brother,  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  took  very  little  notice  of  the  no- 
bles and  high  officers  of  state.  Every  body 
was  surprised  and  displeased  at  this  behavior, 
but  as  Edward  was  king  there  was  nothing  to 
be  said  or  done. 

Soon  afterward  the  coronation  took  place, 
and  on  this  occasion  all  the  honors  were  allot- 
ted to  Gaveston,  to  the  utter  neglect  of  the  an- 
cient and  hereditary  dignitaries  of  the  realm. 
Gaveston  carried  the  crown,  and  walked  before 
the  king  and  queen,  and  acted  in  all  respects 
as  if  he  were  the  principal  personage  in  the 
country.  The  old  nobles  were,  of  course,  ex- 
tremely indignant  at  this.  Hitherto  they  had 
expressed  their  displeasure  at  the  king's  favor- 
itism by  private  murmurings  and  complaints, 
but  now,  they  thought,  it  was  time  to  take  some 
concerted  public  action  to  remedy  the  evil ;  so 
they  met  together,  and  framed  a  petition  to  be 
sent  to  the  king,  in  which,  though  under  the 
form  of  a  request,  they,  in  fact,  demanded  that 
Gaveston  should  be  dismissed  from  his  offices, 
and  required  to  leave  the  country. 

The  king  was  alarmed.     He,  however,  could 


QUARRELS.  57 

Bold  and  presumptuous  demeanor  of  Gaveston.  His  unpopularity. 

not  think  of  giving  his  favorite  up.  So  he  said 
that  he  would  return  them  an  answer  to  the  pe- 
tition by-and-by,  and  he  immediately  began  to 
pursue  a  more  conciliatory  course  toward  the 
nobles.  But  the  effect  of  his  attempts  at  con- 
ciliation was  spoiled  by  Gaveston's  behavior. 
He  became  more  and  more  proud  and  ostenta- 
tious every  day.  He  appeared  in  all  public 
places,  and  every  where  he  took  precedence  of 
the  highest  nobles  of  the  land,  and  prided  him- 
self on  outshining  them  in  the  pomp  and  parade 
which  he  displayed.  He  attended  all  the  jousts 
and  tournaments,  and,  as  he  was  really  a  very 
handsome  and  well-formed  man,  and  well  skill- 
ed in  the  warlike  sports  in  fashion  in  those 
days,  he  bore  away  most  of  the  great  prizes. 
He  thus  successfully  rivaled  the  other  nobles 
in  gaining  the  admiration  of  the  ladies  of  the 
court  and  the  applause  of  the  multitude,  and 
made  the  nobles  hate  him  more  than  ever. 

Things  went  on  in  this  way  worse  and  worse, 
until  at  last  the  general  sentiment  became  so 
strong  against  Gaveston  that  the  Parliament, 
when  it  met,  took  a  decided  stand  in  opposition 
to  him,  and  insisted  that  he  should  be  expelled 
from  the  country.  A  struggle  followed,  but  the 
king  was  obliged  to  yield.  Gaveston  was  re- 
quired to  leave  the  country,  and  to  take  an  oath 


58  KING  RICHARD  II. 

He  is  banished.  His  parting.  Gaveston' s  return, 

never  to  return.  It  was  only  on  these  condi- 
tions that  the  Parliament  would  uphold  the 
government,  and  thus  the  king  saw  that  he 
must  lose  either  his  friend  or  his  crown. 

Gaveston  went  away.  The  king  accompa- 
nied him  to  the  sea-shore,  and  took  leave  of  him 
there  in  the  most  affectionate  manner,  promis- 
ing to  bring  him  back  again  as  soon  as  he  could 
possibly  do  it.  He  immediately  began  to  ma- 
noeuvre for  the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose. 
In  the  mean  time,  as  Gaveston  had  only  sworn 
to  leave  England,  the  king  sent  him  to  Ireland, 
and  made  him  governor  general  of  that  coun- 
try, and  there  Gaveston  lived  in  greater  power 
and  splendor  than  ever. 

At  length,  in  little  more  than  a  year,  Gav- 
eston came  back.  His  oath  not  to  return  was 
disposed  of  by  means  of  a  dispensation  which 
King  Edward  obtained  for  him  from  the  Pope, 
absolving  him  from  the  obligation  of  it.  When 
he  was  reinstated  in  the  king's  court  he  be- 
haved more  scandalously  than  ever.  He  re- 
venged himself  upon  the  nobles  who  had  been 
the  means  of  sending  him  away  by  ridiculing 
them  and  giving  them  nicknames.  One  of 
them  he  called  Joseph  the  Jew,  because  his  face 
was  pale  and  thin,  and  bore,  in  some  respects,  a 
Jewish  expression.  Another,  the  Earl  of  War- 


QUARRELS.  59 

The  Black  Dog  of  Ardenne.  Gaveston  made  prisoner. 

wick,  he  called  the  Black  Dog  of  Ardenne. 
When  the  earl  heard  of  this,  he  said,  clenching 
his  fist,  "Very  well;  I'll  make  him  feel  the 
Black  Dog's  teeth  yet." 

In  a  word,  the  nobles  were  excited  to  the 
greatest  pitch  of  rage  and  indignation  against 
the  favorite,  and,  after  various  struggles  and 
contentions  between  them  and  the  king,  they  at 
length  broke  out  into  an  open  revolt.  The 
king  at  this  time,  with  Gaveston  and  his  wife, 
were  at  Newcastle,  which  is  in  the  north  of 
England.  The  barons  fell  upon  him  here  with 
the  intention  of  seizing  Graveston.  Both  the 
king  and  Gaveston,  however,  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing their  escape.  Gaveston  fled  to  a  castle,  and 
shut  himself  up  there.  The  king  escaped  by 
sea,  leaving  his  wife  behind,  at  the  mercy  of  the 
conspirators.  The  barons  treated  the  queen 
with  respect,  but  they  pressed  on  at  once  in  pur- 
suit of  Gaveston.  They  laid  siege  to  the  castle 
where  he  sought  refuge.  Finding  that  the  cas- 
tle could  not  hold  out  long,  Gaveston  thought 
it  best  to  surrender  while  it  yet  remained  in  his 
power  to  make  terms  with  his  enemies;  so  he 
agreed  to  give  himself  up,  they  stipulating  that 
they  would  do  him  no  bodily  harm,  but  only 
confine  him,  and  that  the  place  of  his  confine- 
ment should  be  one  of  his  own  castles. 


60  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Consultation  respecting  him.  His  fate. 

When  he  came  down  into  the  court-yard  of 
the  castle,  after  signing  this  stipulation,  he  found 
there  ready  to  receive  him  the  Earl  of  War 
wick,  the  man  to  whom  he  had  given  the  nick- 
name of  the  Black  Dog  of  Ardenne.  The  earl 
was  at  the  head  of  a  large  force.  He  immedi- 
ately took  Gaveston  into  custody,  and  galloped 
off  with  him  at  the  head  of  his  troop  to  his  own 
castle.  The  engraving  represents  a  view  of 
this  fortress  as  it  appeared  in  those  days. 

When  they  had  got  Gaveston  safe  into  this 
castle,  the  chiefs  held  a  sort  of  council  of  war 
to  determine  what  should  be  done  with  their 
prisoner.  While  they  were  consulting  on  the 
subject,  intending  apparently  to  spare  his  life 
as  they  had  agreed,  some  one  called  out, 

"  It  has  cost  you  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to 
catch  the  fox,  and  now,  if  you  let  him  go,  you 
will  have  a  great  deal  more  trouble  in  hunting 
him  again." 

This  consideration  decided  them;  so  they 
took  the  terrified  prisoner,  and,  in  spite  of  his 
piteous  cries  for  mercy,  they  hurried  him  away 
to  a  solitary  place  a  mile  or  two  from  the  cas- 
tle, and  there,  on  a  little  knoll  by  the  side  of 
the  road,  they  cut  off  his  head. 

One  would  have  supposed  that  by  this  time 
the  king  would  have  been  cured  of  the  folly  of 


QUARRELS.  63 

'The  Spencers.  The  queen  and  Mortimer. 

•devoting  himself  to  favorites,  but  lie  was  not. 
He  mourned  over  the  death  of  Gaveston  at  first 
with  bitter  grief,  and  when  this  first  paroxysm 
of  his  sorrow  was  passed,  it  was  succeeded  with 
a  still  more  bitter  spirit  of  revenge.  He  im- 
mediately took  the  field  against  his  rebellious 
barons,  and.  a  furious  civil  war  ensued.  He 
soon,  too,  found  a  new  favorite,  or,  rather,  two 
favorites.  They  were  brothers,  and  their  names 
were  Spencer.  They  are  called  in  history  the 
Spencers,  or  the  Despensers.  The  quarrels  and 
wars  which  took  place  between  the  king  and 
these  favorites  on  one  hand,  and  the  barons  and 
nobles  on  the  other,  were  continued  for  many 
years.  The  queen  took  sides  with  the  nobles 
against  her  husband  and  the  Spencers.  She 
fled  to  France,  and  there  formed  an  intimacy 
with  a  young  nobleman  named  Mortimer,  who 
joined  himself  to  her,  and  thenceforth  accom- 
panied her  and  made  common  cause  with  her 
against  her  husband.  With  this  Mortimer  she 
raised  an  army,  and,  sailing  from  Flanders,  she 
landed  in  England.  On  landing,  she  summon- 
ed the  barons  to  join  her,  and  took  the  field 
against  her  husband.  The  king  was  beaten  in 
this  war,  and  fled  again  on  board  a  vessel,  in- 
tending to  make  his  escape  by  sea.  The  two 
Spencers,  one  after  the  other,  were  taken  pris- 


64  KING  RICHAKD  II. 


Edward  III.  proclaimed  king.  Edward  II.  made  prisoner. 

oners,  and  both  were  hung  on  gibbets  fifty  feet 
high.  They  were  hung  in  their  armor,  and 
after  they  were  dead  their  bodies  were  taken 
down  and  treated  as  it  was  customary  to  treat 
the  bodies  of  traitors.* 

In  the  midst  of  these  proceedings  the  barons 
held  a  sort  of  Parliament,  and  made  a  solemn 
declaration  that  the  king,  by  his  flight,  had  ab- 
dicated the  throne,  and  they  proclaimed  his  son, 
the  young  Prince  of  Wales,  then  about  four- 
teen years  old,  king,  under  the  title  of  Edward 
the  Third.  In  the  mean  time,  the  king  himself, 
who  had  attempted  to  make  his  escape  by  sear 
was  tossed  about  in  a  storm  for  some  days,  until 
at  last  he  was  driven  on  the  coast  in  South 
Wales.  He  concealed  himself  for  some  days 
in  the  mountains.  Here  he  was  hunted  about 
for  a  time,  until  he  was  reduced  to  despair  by 
his  destitution  and  his  sufferings,  when  at  length 
he  came  forth  and  delivered  himself  up  to  his 
enemies. 

He  was  made  prisoner  and  immediately  sent 
to  Kenilworth  Castle,  and  there  secured.  Af- 

*  In  cases  of  treason  the  condemned  man  was  first  dis- 
emboweled; then  his  head  was  taken  off;  then  the  body 
was  cut  into  quarters.  The  head  and  the  four  quarters  of 
the  body  were  then  sent  to  various  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
and  set  up  in  conspicuous  places  in  large  cities  and  towns. 


AD.  1327.]         QUARRELS.  67 

Edward  II.  formally  deposed  at  Kenil worth. 

terward  he  was  brought  to  trial.  He  was  ac- 
cused of  shameful  indolence  and  incapacity,  and 
also  of  cowardice,  cruelty,  and  oppression,  and 
of  having  brought  the  country,  by  his  vices  and 
maladministration,  to  the  verge  of  ruin.  He 
was  convicted  on  these  charges,  and  the  queen, 
his  wife,  confirmed  the  verdict. 

Not  being  quite  sure,  after  all,  that  by  these 
means  the  dethronement  of  the  king  was  legal- 
ly complete,  the  Parliament  sent  a  solemn  dep- 
utation to  Kenilworth  Castle  to  depose  the  mon- 
arch in  form.  The  king  was  brought  out  to 
meet  this  deputation  in  a  great  hall  of  the  cas- 
tle. He  came  just  as  he  was,  dressed  in  a  sim- 
ple black  gown.  The  deputation  told  him  that 
he  was  no  longer  king,  that  all  allegiance  had 
been  withdrawn  from  him  on  the  part  of  the 
people,  and  that  henceforth  he  must  consider 
himself  as  a  private  man.  As  they  said  this, 
the  steward  of  the  household  came  forward  and 
broke  his  white  wand,  the  badge  of  his  office, 
in  token  that  the  household  was  dissolved,  and 
he  declared  that  by  that  act  all  ihe  king's  serv- 
ants were  discharged  and  freed.  This  was  a 
ceremony  that  was  usually  performed  at  the 
death  of  a  king,  and  it  was  considered  in  this 
case  as  completely  and  finally  terminating  the 
reign  of  Edward. 


68  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  delegation  require  the  king  to  abdicate  the  crown. 

The  delegation  also  exacted  from  him  some- 
thing which  they  considered  as  a  resignation 
of  the  crown.  His  son,  the  young  prince,  it 
was  said,  was  unwilling  to  ascend  the  throne 
unless  the  barons  could  induce  his  father  volun- 
tarily to  abdicate  his  own  rights  to  it.  Thej 
were  the  more  desirous  in  this  case  of  complete- 
ly and  forever  extinguishing  all  of  King  Ed- 
ward's claims.,  because  they  were  afraid  that 
there  might  be  a  secret  party  in  his  favor,  and 
that  that  party  might  gain  strength,  and  finally 
come  out  openly  against  them  in  civil  war,  in 
which  case,  if  they  were  worsted,  they  knew  that 
they  would  all  be  hung  as  traitors. 

Indeed,  soon  after  this  time  it  began  to  ap- 
pear that  there  were,  in  fact,  some  persons  who 
were  disposed  to  sympathize  with  the  king. 
His  queen,  Isabel,  who  had  been  acting  against 
him  during  the  war,  was  now  joined  with  Mor- 
timer, her  favorite,  and  they  two  held  pretty 
much  the  whole  control  of  the  government,  for 
the  new  king  was  yet  too  young  to  reign. 
Many  of  the  monks  and  other  ecclesiastics  of 
the  time  openly  declared  that  Isabel  was  guilty 
of  great  sin  in  thus  abandoning  her  husband 
for  the  sake  of  another  man.  They  said  that 
she  ought  to  leave  Mortimer,  and  go  and  join 
her  husband  in  his  prison.  And  it  was  not  long 


QUARRELS. 


69 


Opinion  of  the  monks. 


Alarm  of  the  nobles. 


A   MONK   OF   THOSE  DAYS. 


before  it  began  to  be  rumored  that  secret  plots 
were  forming  to  attempt  the  king's  deliverance 
from  his  enemies.  This  alarmed  the  nobles 
more  than  ever.  The  queen  and  some  others 
wrote  sharp  letters  to  the  keepers  of  the  castle 
for  dealing  so  gently  with  their  prisoner,  and 
gave  them  hints  that  they  ought  to  kill  him.  In 
the  end,  the  fallen  monarch  was  transported  from 
one  fortress  to  another,  until  at  length  he  came 


70  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Berkeley  Castle.  Plot  for  assassinating  the  king. 

to  Berkeley  Castle.  The  inducement  which  led 
Mortimer  and  the  queen  to  send  the  king  to 
these  different  places  was  the  hope  that  some 
one  or  other  of  the  keepers  of  the  castles  would 
divine  their  wishes  in  regard  to  him,  and  put 
him  to  death.  But  no  one  did  so.  The  keeper 
of  Berkeley  Castle,  indeed,  instead  of  putting  his 
prisoner  to  death,  seemed  inclined  to  take  com- 
passion on  him,  and  to  treat  him  more  kindly 
even  than  the  others  had  done.  Accordingly, 
after  waiting  some  time,  Mortimer  seized  an 
opportunity  when  Lord  Berkeley,  having  gone 
away  from  home,  was  detained  away  some  days 
by  sickness,  to  send  two  fierce  and  abandoned 
men,  named  Gourney  and  Ogle,  to  the  castle, 
with  instructions  to  kill  the  king  in  some  way 
or  other,  but,  if  possible,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
make  it  appear  that  he  died  a  natural  death. 
These  men  tried  various  plans  without  success. 
They  administered  poisons,  and  resorted  to  va- 
rious other  diabolical  contrivances.  At  last,  one 
night,  dreadful  outcries  and  groans  were  heard 
coming  from  the  king's  apartment.  They  were 
accompanied  from  time  to  time  with  shrieks  of 
terrible  agony.  These  sounds  were  continued 
for  some  time,  and  they  were  heard  in  all  parts 
of  the  castle,  and  in  many  of  the  houses  of  the 
town.  The  truth  was,  the  executioners  whom 


QUARRELS.  73 

Dreadful  death.  Great  hatred  of  Mortimer. 

Mortimer  had  sent  were  murdering  the  king  in 
a  manner  almost  too  horrible  to  be  described.* 
The  people  in  the  castle  and  in  the  town  knew 
very  well  what  these  dreadful  outcries  meant. 
They  were  filled  with  consternation  and  horror 
at  the  deed,  and  they  spent  the  time  in  praying 
to  God  that  he  would  receive  the  soul  of  the 
unhappy  victim. 

After  this,  Mortimer  and  the  queen  for  two 
or  three  years  held  pretty  nearly  supreme  pow- 
er in  the  realm,  though,  of  course,  they  govern- 
ed in  the  name  of  the  young  king,  who  was  yet 
only  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age.  There 
was,  however,  a  great  secret  hatred  of  Mortimer 
among  all  the  old  nobility  of  the  realm.  This 
ill-will  ripened  at  last  into  open  hostility.  A 
conspiracy  was  formed  to  destroy  Mortimer,  and 
to  depose  the  queen-mother  from  her  power, 
and  to  place  young  Edward  in  possession  of  the 

*  They  came  to  him  while  he  was  asleep,  and  pressed 
him  down  with  heavy  feather  beds,  which  they  cast  upon 
him  to  stifle  his  cries,  and  then  thrust  a  red-hot  spit  up  into 
his  bowels  through  a  horn,  as  some  said,  or  a  part  of  the 
tube  of  a  trumpet,  according  to  others,  so  as  to  kill  him  by 
the  internal  burning  without  making  any  outward  mark  of 
the  fire  on  his  person.  Notwithstanding  their  efforts  to  stifle 
his  cries,  he  struggled  so  desperately  in  his  agony  as  partly 
to  break  loose  from  them,  and  thus  made  his  shrieks  and 
outcries  heard. 


74  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Situation  of  the  castle  of  Nottingham.  The  caves. 

kingdom.  Mortimer  discovered  what  was  going 
on,  and  lie  went  for  safety,  with  Edward  and  the 
queen,  to  the  castle  of  Nottingham,  where  he 
shut  himself  up,  and  placed  a  strong  guard  at 
the  gates  and  on  the  walls. 

This  castle  of  Nottingham  was  situated  upon 
a  hill,  on  the  side  of  which  was  a  range  of  ex- 
cavations which  had  been  made  in  a  chalky 
stone  by  some  sort  of  quarrying.  There  was  a 
subterranean  passage  from  the  interior  of  one 
of  these  caves  which  led  to  the  castle.  The  cas- 
tle itself  was  strongly  guarded,  and  every  night 
Isabel  required  the  warden,  on  locking  the  gates, 
to  bring  the  keys  to  her,  and  she  kept  them  by 
her  bedside.  The  governor  of  the  castle,  how- 
ever, made  an  agreement  with  Lord  Montacute, 
who  was  the  leader  in  the  conspiracy  against 
Mortimer,  to  admit  him  to  the  castle  at  night 
through  the  subterranean  passage.  It  seems 
that  Mortimer  and  the  queen  did  not  know  of 
the  existence  of  this  communication.  They  did 
not  even  know  about  the  caves,  for  the  mouths 
of  them  were  at  that  tune  concealed  by  rubbish 
and  brambles. 

It  was  near  midnight  when  Montacute  and  the 
party  who  went  with  him  entered  the  passage. 
They  crowded  their  way  through  the  bushes- 
and  brambles  till  they  found  the  entrance  of 


QUARRELS.  77 


the  cave,  and  then  went  in.  They  were  all 
completely  armed,  and  they  carried  torches  to 
light  their  way.  They  crept  along  the  gloomy 
passage-way  until  at  last  they  reached  the  door 
which  led  up  into  the  interior  of  the  castle.  Here 
the  governor  was  ready  to  let  them  in.  As  soon 
as  they  entered,  they  were  joined  by  young  Ed- 
ward at  the  foot  of  the  main  tower.  They  left 
their  torches  here,  and  Edward  led  them  up  a 
secret  staircase  to  a  dark  chamber.  They  crept 
softly  into  this  room  and  listened.  They  could 
hear  in  an  adjoining  hall  the  voices  of  Morti- 
mer and  several  of  his  adherents,  who  were 
holding  a  consultation.  They  waited  a  few 
minutes,  and  then,  making  a  rush  into  the  pas- 
sage-way which  led  to  the  hall,  they  killed  two 
knights  who  were  on  sentry  there  to  guard  the 
door,  and,  immediately  bursting  into  the  apart- 
ment, made  Mortimer  and  all  his  friends  pris- 
oners. 

The  queen,  who  was  in  her  bed  in  an  adjoin- 
ing room  at  this  time,  rushed  frantically  out 
when  she  heard  the  noise  of  the  affray,  and, 
with  piteous  entreaties  and  many  tears,  she  beg- 
ged and  prayed  Edward,  her  "sweet  son,"  as 
she  called  him,  to  spare  the  gentle  Mortimer, 
"her  dearest  friend,  her  well-beloved  cousin." 
The  conspirators  did  spare  him  at  that  time; 


78  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Isabella's  unhappy  fate.  Mortimer's  Hole. 

they  took  him  prisoner,  and  bore  him  away  to  a 
place  of  safety.  He  was  soon  afterward  brought 
to  trial  on  a  charge  of  treason,  and  hanged.  Isa- 
bel was  deprived  of  all  her  property,  and  shut 
up  in  a  castle  as  a  prisoner  of  state.  In  this 
castle  she  afterward  lived  nearly  thirty  years,  in 
Jonely  misery,  and  then  died. 

The  adjoining  engraving  represents  a  near 
view  of  the  subterranean  passage  by  which  Lord 
Montacute  and  his  party  gained  admission  to 
the  castle  of  Nottingham.  It  is  known  in  mod- 
ern times  as  MORTIMER'S  HOLE. 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  81 


Parentage  of  the  Black  Prince,  Richard's  father. 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  BLACK  PRINCE. 

THE  father  of  King  Eichard  the  Second  was 
a  celebrated  Prince  of  Wales,  known  in 
history  as  the  Black  Prince.  The  Black  Prince, 
as  his  title  Prince  of  Wales  implies,  was  the  old- 
est son  of  the  King  of  England.  His  father  was 
Edward  the  Third.  The  Black  Prince  was,  of 
course,  heir  to  the  crown,  and  he  would  have 
been  king  had  it  not  happened  that  he  died  be- 
fore his  father.  Consequently,  when  at  last  his 
father,  King  Edward,  died,  Richard,  who  was 
the  oldest  son  of  the  prince,  and,  of  course,  the 
grandson  of  the  king,  succeeded  to  the  throne, 
although  he  was  at  that  time  only  ten  years 
old. 

The  Christian  name  of  the  Black  Prince  was 
Edward.  He  was  called  the  Black  Prince  on 
account  of  the  color  of  his  armor.  The  knights 
and  warriors  of  those  days  were  often  named  in 
this  way  from  some  peculiarity  in  their  armor. 

Edward,  being  the  oldest  son  of  the  king  his 
father,  was  Prince  of  Wales.  He  was  often  call- 
ed the  Prince  o."  Y7"ales,  and  often  simply  Prince. 

.8—6 


82  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Keaaon  for  the  name.  Situation  of  Crecy. 

Edward;  but,  inasmuch  as  there  were  several 
successive  Edwards,  each  of  whom  was  in  his 
youth  the  Prince  of  Wales,  neither  of  those  ti- 
tles alone  would  be  a  sufficiently  distinctive  ap- 
pellation for  the  purposes  of  history.  This  Ed- 
ward accordingly,  as  he  became  very  celebrated 
in  his  day,  and  inasmuch  as,  on  account  of  his 
dying  before  his  father,  he  never  became  any 
thing  more  than  Prince  of  Wales,  is  known  in 
history  almost  exclusively  by  the  title  of  the 
Black  Prince. 

But,  although  he  never  attained  to  a  higher 
title  than  that  of  prince,  he  still  lived  to  a  very 
mature  age.  He  was  more  than  forty  years  old 
when  he  died.  He,  however,  began  to  acquire 
his  great  celebrity  when  he  was  very  young ; 
he  fought  at  the  great  battle  of  Crecy,  in  France, 
as  one  of  the  principal  commanders  on  the  En- 
glish side,  when  he  was  only  about  seventeen 
years  old. 

Crecy,  or  Cressy,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Somme,  in  the 
northeast  part  of  France.  The  circumstances 
under  which  the  battle  in  this  place  was  fought 
are  as  follows.  The  King  of  England,  Edward 
tho  Th?rd,  the  father  of  the  Black  Prince,  laid 
claim  io  the  throne  of  France.  The  ground  of 
Ms  claim  was  that,  through  his  grandmother 


A.D.1336.]  THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  83- 

Nature  of  Edward's  claim  to  the  crown  of  France. 

Isabel,  who  was  a  daughter  of  the  French  king, 
he  was  the  nearest  blood-relation  to  the  royal 
line,  all  the  other  branches  of  the  family  nearer 
than  his  own  being  extinct.  Now  the  people 
of  France  were,  of  course,  very  unwilling  that 
the  King  of  England  should  become  entitled  to 
the  French  crown,  and  they  accordingly  made 
a  certain  Prince  Philip  the  king,  who  reigned' 
under  the  title  of  Philip  the  Sixth.  Philip  was: 
the  nearest  relative  after  Edward,  and  he  de- 
rived his  descent  through  males  alone,  while 
Edward,  claiming,  as  he  did,  through  his  grand- 
mother Isabel,  came  through  a  female  line. 

Now  there  was  an  ancient  law  prevailing  in 
certain  portions  of  France,  called  the  Salic  law,* 
by  which  female  children  were  excluded  from 
inheriting  the  possessions  of  their  fathers.  This 
principle  was  at  first  applied  to  the  inheriting 
of  private  property,  but  it  was  afterward  extend- 
ed to  rights  and  titles  of  all  sorts,  and  finally  to 
the  descent  of  the  crown  of  France.  Indeed,  the 
right  to  rule  over  a  province  or  a  kingdom  was 
considered  in  those  days  as  a  species  of  proper- 
ty, which  descended  from  father  to  child  by  ab- 

*  The  Salic  law  is  very  celebrated  in  history,  and  ques- 
tions growing  ont  of  it  gave  rise,  in  ancient  times,  to  innu- 
merable wars.  It  derived  its  name  from  a  tribe  of  people 
called  Saliens,  by  whom  it  was  first  introduced. 


84  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.  1338. 

The  Salic  law.  Reason  for  it.  Edward's  case. 

solute  right,  over  which  the  -people  governed 
had  no  control  whatever. 

The  chief  reason  why  the  Salic  law  was  ap- 
plied to  the  case  of  the  crown  of  France  was 
not,  as  it  might  at  first  be  supposed,  because  it 
was  thought  in  those  days  that  women  were 
not  qualified  to  reign,  but  because,  by  allowing 
the  crown  to  descend  to  the  daughters  of  the 
king  as  well  as  to  the  sons,  there  was  danger  of 
its  passing  out  of  the  country.  The  princes  of 
the  royal  family  usually  remained  in  their  own 
land,  and,  if  they  married  at  all,  they  married 
usually  foreign  princesses,  whom  they  brought 
home  to  live  with  them  in  their  native  land. 
The  princesses,  on  the  other  hand,  when  they 
grew  up,  were  very  apt  to  marry  princes  of  oth- 
er countries,  who  took  them  away  to  the  places 
where  they,  the  princes,  respectively  lived.  If, 
now,  these  princesses  were  allowed  to  inherit 
the  crown,  and,  especially,  if  the  inheritance 
were  allowed  to  pass  through  them  to  their 
children,  cases  might  occur  in  which  the  king- 
dom of  France  might  descend  to  some  foreign- 
born  prince,  the  heir,  or  the  actual  ruler,  per- 
haps, of  some  foreign  kingdom. 

This  was  precisely  what  happened  in  Ed- 
ward's case.  The  Salic  law  had  not  then  been 
fully  established.  Edward  maintained  that  it 


AJX1346.]  THE  BLACK  PKINCE.  85 

Edward  raises  an  army  and  sets  out  for  France. 

was  not  law.  He  claimed  that  the  crown  de- 
scended through  Isabel  to  him.  The  French, 
on  the  other  hand,  insisted  on  passing  him  by, 
and  decided  that  Philip,  who,  next  to  him,  was 
the  most  direct  descendant,  and  whose  title 
came  through  a  line  of  males,  should  be  king. 

In  this  state  of  things  Edward  raised  a  great 
army,  and  set  out  for  France  in  order  to  possess 
himself  of  the  French  crown.  The  war  con- 
tinued many  years,  in  the  course  of  which  Ed- 
ward fitted  out  several  different  expeditions  into 
France. 

It  was  in  one  of  these  expeditions  that  he 
took  his  son,  the  Black  Prince,  then  only  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  as  one  of  his  generals.  The 
prince  was  a  remarkably  fine  young  man,  tall 
and  manly  in  form,  and  possessed  of  a  degree 
of  maturity  of  mind  above  his  years.  He  was 
affable  and  unassuming,  too,  in  his  manners, 
and  was  a  great  favorite  among  all  the  ranks  of 
the  army. 

The  map  on  the  following  page  shows  the 
course  of  the  expedition,  and  the  situation  of 
Crecy.  The  fleet  which  brought  the  troops  over 
landed  there  on  a  cape  a  little  to  the  westward 
of  the  region  shown  upon  the  map.  From  the 
place  where  they  landed  they  marched  across 
the  country,  as  seen  by  the  track  upon  the  map, 


86 


KING  BICHAKD  II. 


Map. 


The  army  reaches  Rouen. 


CAMPAIGN    OF  CBECY. 


toward  the  Seme.  They  took  possession  of  the 
towns  on  the  way,  and  plundered  and  wasted 
the  country. 

They  advanced  in  this  manner  until  at  length 
they  reached  the  river  opposite  Eouen,  which 
was  then,  as  now,  a  very  large  and  important 
town.  It  stands  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  riv- 
er. On  reaching  Rouen,  Edward  found  the 
French  army  ready  to  meet  him.  There  was  a 
bridge  of  boats  there,  and  Edward  had  intended 
to  cross  the  river  by  it,  and  get  into  the  town 
of  Rouen.  He  found,  however,  on  his  arrival 
opposite  the  town,  that  the  bridge  was  gone. 
The  French  king  had  destroyed  it.  He  then 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  89 

Progress  of  the  army.  Arrival  at  Amiens. 

turned  his  course  up  the  river,  keeping,  of 
course,  on  the  western  and  southern  side  of  the 
stream,  and  looking  out  for  an  opportunity  to 
cross.  But  as  fast,  as  he  ascended  on  one  side 
of  the  river,  Philip  ascended  on  the  other,  and 
destroyed  all  the  bridges  before  Edward's  ar- 
mies could  get  to  them.  In  this  way  the  two 
•armies  advanced,  each  on  its  own  side  of  the 
river,  until  they  reached  the  environs  of  Paris, 
the  English  burning  and  destroying  every  thing 
that  came  in  their  way.  There  was  a  good  deal 
of  manoeuvring  between  the  two  armies  near 
Paris,  in  the  course  of  which  Edward  contrived 
to  get  across  the  river.  He  crossed  at  Poissy 
by  means  of  a  bridge  which  Philip  had  only 
partially  destroyed.  While  Philip  was  away, 
looking  out  for  his  capital,  Paris,  which  Edward 
was  threatening,  Edward  hastened  back  to  get 
possession  of  the  bridge,  repaired  it,  and  march- 
ed his  army  over  before  Philip  could  return. 

Both  armies  then  struck  across  the  country 
toward  the  River  Somme.  Philip  reached  the 
river  first.  He  crossed  at  Amiens,  and  then 
went  down  on  the  right  or  eastern  bank  of  the 
river,  destroying  all  the  bridges  on  the  way. 
Edward,  when  he  reached  the  river,  found  no 
place  to  cross.  He  tried  at  Pont  St.  Remi,  at 
Long,  and  at  other  places,  but  failed  every 


90  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Progress  of  the  two  armies  down  the  Somme. 

where.  In  the  mean  time,  while  his  own  forces 
had  gradually  been  diminishing,  Philip's  had 
been  rapidly  increasing.  Philip  now  divided 
his  force.  He  sent  down  one  portion  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  river  to  prevent  the  English 
from  crossing.  With  the  other  portion  he  came 
back  to  the  left  bank,  and  began  to  follow  Ed- 
ward's army  down  toward  the  mouth  of  the  * 
river.  Edward  went  on  in  this  way  as  far  as 
Oisemont,  and  here  he  began  to  find  himself  in 
great  danger  of  being  hemmed  in  by  Philip's 
army  in  a  corner  between  the  river  and  the  sea. 
He  sent  scouts  up  and  down  to  try  to  find 
some  place  where  he  could  cross  by  a  ford,  as 
the  bridges  were  all  down ;  but  no  fording-place 
could  be  found.  He  then  ordered  the  prisoners 
that  he  had  taken  to  be  all  brought  together, 
and  he  offered  liberty  and  a  large  reward  in 
money  to  any  one  of  them  that  would  show  him 
where  there  was  a  ford  by  which  he  could  get 
his  army  across  the  river.  He  thought  that 
they,  being  natives  of  the  country,  would  be 
sure  to  know  about  the  fording-places,  if  any 
there  were.  One  of  the  prisoners,  a  country- 
man named  Gobin,  told  him  that  there  was  a 
place  a  little  lower  down  the  river,  called  White 
Spot,  where  people  could  wade  across  the  river 
when  the  tide  was  low.  The  tide  ebbed  and 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  91 

Edward's  anxiety  about  crossing  the  river. 

flowed  in  the  river  here,  on  account  of  its  being 
so  near  the  sea. 

This  was  in  the  evening.  King  Edward  was 
awake  all  night  with  anxiety,  expecting  every 
moment  that  Philip  would  come  suddenly  upon 
him.  He  rose  at  midnight,  and  ordered  the 
trumpets  to  sound  in  order  to  arouse  the  men. 
The  officers  were  all  on  the  alert,  the  young 
prince  among  them.  All  was  movement  and 
bustle  in  the  camp.  As  soon  as  the  day  dawn- 
ed they  commenced  their  march,  Gobin  leading 
the  way.  He  was  well  guarded.  They  were 
all  ready  to  cut  him  to  pieces  if  he  should  fail 
to  lead  them  to  the  ford  which  he  had  prom- 
ised. But  he  found  the  ford,  though  at  the  time 
that  the  army  reached  the  spot  the  tide  was 
high,  so  that  they  could  not  cross.  Besides  this, 
the  king  saw  that  on  the  opposite  bank  there 
was  a  large  body  of  French  troops  posted  to 
guard  the  passage.  Edward  was  obliged  to 
wait  some  hours  for  the  tide  to  go  down,  being 
in  a  terrible  state  of  suspense  all  the  time  for 
fear  that  Philip  should  come  down  upon  him 
in  the  rear,  in  which  case  his  situation  would 
have  been  perilous  in  the  extreme. 

At  last  the  tide  was  low  enough  to  make  the 
river  fordable,  and  Edward  ordered  his  troops 
to  dash  forward  into  the  river.  The  men  ad- 


92  KING  EICHARD  11. 

Danger  from  the  tide.  Edward  posts  himself  at  Crecy. 

vanced,  but  they  were  met  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream  by  the  troops  that  had  been  posted  on 
the  bank  to  oppose  them.  There  was  a  short 
and  desperate  conflict  in  the  water,  but  Edward 
at  last  forced  his  way  through,  and  drove  the 
French  away. 

It  then  required  some  hours  for  all  his  army 
to  cross.  They  had  barely  time  to  accomplish 
the  work  before  the  tide  came  up  again.  Just 
at  this  time,  too,  Philip's  army  appeared,  but  it 
was  too  late  for  them  to  cross  the  ford,  and  so- 
Edward  escaped  with  the  main  body  of  his 
army,  though  a  portion  of  those  in  the  rear, 
who  were  not  able  to  get  across  in  time,  fell  into 
Philip's  hands,  and  were  either  killed  or  taken 
prisoners  on  the  margin  of  the  water. 

The  young  prince  was,  of  course,  as  much  re- 
joiced as  his  father  at  this  fortunate  escape. 
The  -army  were  all  greatly  encouraged,  too,  by 
the  result  of  the  battle  which  they  had  fought 
on  the  bank  of  the  river  in  landing ;  and,  final- 
ly, Edward  resolved  that  he  would  not  retreat 
any  farther.  He  determined  to  choose  a  good 
position,  and  draw  up  his  army  in  array,  and  so 
give  Philip  battle  if  he  chose  to  come  on.  The 
place  which  he  selected  was  a  hill  at  Crecy. 
Philip  soon  after  came  up,  and  the  battle  was 
fought ;  and  thus  it  was  that  Crecy  became  the 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  93 

Plan  of  the  battle.  The  Black  Prince  in  command. 

scene  of  the  great  and  celebrated  conflict  which 
bears  its  name. 

King  Edward  arrayed  his  troops  in  success- 
ive lines  on  the  declivity  of  the  hill,  while  he 
himself  took  his  station,  with  a  large  reserve, 
on  the  summit  of  it.  He  committed  the  general 
charge  of  the  battle  to  his  generals  and  knights, 
and  one  of  the  chief  in  command  was  the  young 
prince,  who  was  placed  at  the  head  of  one  of 
the  most  important  lines,  although  he  was  at 
this  time,  as  has  already  been  said,  only  seven- 
teen years  old. 

The  King  of  France,  with  an  immense  host, 
came  on  toward  the  place  where  Edward  was 
encamped,  confident  that,  as  soon  as  he  could 
come  up  with  him,  he  should  at  once  over- 
whelm and  destroy  him.  His  army  was  very 
large,  while  Edward's  was  comparatively  small. 
Philip's  army,  however,  was  not  under  good 
control.  The  vast  columns  filled  the  roads  for 
miles,  and  when  the  front  arrived  at  the  place 
where  Edward's  army  was  posted,  the  officers 
attempted  to  halt  them  all,  but  those  behind 
crowded  on  toward  those  in  front,  and  made 
great  confusion.  Then  there  wan  disagreement 
and  uncertainty  among  Philip's  counselors  in 
respect  to  the  time  of  making  the  attack.  Some 
were  in  favor  of  advancing  at  once,  but  others 


94  KING  RICHARD  II. 


Picture  of  the  Genoese  archer. 


were  for  waiting  till  the  next  day,  as  the  sol- 
diers were  worn  out  and  exhausted  by  their 
long  march. 

There  was  a  large  body  of  Genoese  archers 
who  fought  with  cross-bows,  a  very  heavy  but  a 


GENOESE    ARCHEO. 


Very  efficient  weapon.     The  officers  who  com- 
manded these  archers  were  in  favor  of  waiting 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  95 

Philip  gets  out  of  patience.  The  rain. 

for  the  attack  till  the  next  day,  as  their  men 
were  very  weary  from  the  fatigue  of  carrying 
their  cross-bows  so  far.  They  had  marched 
eighteen  miles  that  day,  vejy  heavily  laden. 
Philip  was  angry  with  them  for  their  unwilling- 
ness to  go  at  once  into  battle. 

"  See,"  he  cried  out,  "  see  what  we  get  by 
employing  such  scoundrels,  who  fail  us  at  the 
very  moment  when  we  want  them." 

This  made  the  archers  very  angry,  but  nev- 
ertheless they  formed  in  order  of  battle  at  the 
command  of  their  officers,  and  went  forward  to 
the  van.  There  went  with  them  a  large  troop 
of  horsemen  under  the  French  general.  The 
horses  of  this  troop  were  splendidly  equipped, 
and  were  fierce  for  the  fight. 

While  these  preparations  were  making,  a 
very  black  cloud  was  seen  rising  in  the  sky, 
until  the  whole  heavens  were  darkened  by  it. 
The  wind  blew,  and  immense  flocks  of  crows 
flew  screaming  through  the  air,  over  the  heads 
of  the  army.  Presently  it  began  to  rain.  The 
rain  increased  rapidly,  until  it  fell  in  torrents, 
and  every  body  was  drenched.  There  was,  how- 
ever, no  possibility  of  shelter  or  escape  from  it, 
and  the  preparations  for  the  fight  accordingly 
still  went  on. 

At  length,  about  five  o'clock,  it  cleared  up, 


96  KING  KICHARD  II. 

The  battle.  More  difficulty  with  the  archers. 

just  as  the  battle  was  about  to  begin.  The  Gen- 
oese archers  were  in  front  with  the  horsemen, 
but  the  English,  who  had  all  this  time  remain- 
ed calm  and  quiet  at  their  posts,  poured  such 
a  volley  of  arrows  into  their  ranks  that  they 
were  soon  broken  and  began  to  be  thrown  into 
confusion.  Other  English  soldiers  ran  out  from 
their  ranks  armed  with  knives  set  into  the  ends 
of  long  poles,  and  they  thrust  these  knives  into 
the  horses  of  the  troop.  The  horses,  terrified 
and  maddened  with  the  pain,  turned  round  and 
ran  in  among  the  Genoese  archers,  and  trampled 
many  of  them  under  foot.  This  made  the  whole 
body  of  archers  waver  and  begin  to  fall  back. 
Then  Philip,  who  was  coming  on  behind  at  the 
head  of  other  bodies  of  troops,  fell  into  a  great 
rage,  and  shouted  out  in  a  thundering  voice, 

"  Kill  me  those  scoundrels,  for  they  only  stop 
our  way  without  doing  any  good." 

Of  course,  this  made  the  confusion  worse  than 
ever.  In  the  mean  time,  the  English  soldiers, 
under  the  command  of  Prince  Edward  and  the 
other  leaders,  pressed  slowly  and  steadily  for- 
ward, and  poured  in  such  an  incessant  and  dead- 
ly fire  of  darts  and  arrows  upon  the  confused 
and  entangled  masses  of  their  enemies,  that  they 
could  not  rally  or  get  into  order  again.  Some 
of  the  French  generals  made  desperate  efforts 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  97 

They  send  for  help  for  the  Prince  of  \Valcs. 

in  other  parts  of  the  field  to  turn  the  tide,  but 
in  vain. 

At  one  time,  when  the  battle  was  very  hot 
in  the  part  of  the  field  where  the  young  English 
prince  was  fighting,  messengers  went  up  the  hill 
to  the  place  where  the  king  was  stationed,  near 
a  wind-mill,  whence  he  was  watching  the  prog- 
ress of  the  fight,  to  ask  him  to  send  some  suc- 
cor to  the  troops  that  were  fighting  with  the 
prince.  • 

"  Is  my  son  killed?"  asked  the  king. 

"  No,  sire,"  said  the  messenger. 

"Is  he  unhorsed  or  wounded ?"  asked  the 
king. 

"  No,  sire,"  replied  the  messenger.  "  He  is 
safe  thus  far,  and  is  fighting  with  his  troop,  but 
he  is  very  hard  beset." 

"No  matter  for  that,"  said  the  king.  "Go 
and  tell  him  he  can  not  have  any  help  from  me. 
I  intend  that  the  glory  of  this  victory  shall  be 
for  him  alone,  and  for  those  to  whom  I  have 
intrusted  him." 

Things  went  on  in  this  way  for  some  timer 
until  at  length  the  whole  French  army  was 
thrown  into  utter  confusion,  and  the  men  were 
flying  in  all  directions.  Night  was  coming  on, 
and  it  was  beginning  to  be  impossible  to  distin- 
guish friend  from  foe.  A  French  knight  rode 


98  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Flight  of  the  King  of  France  from  the  field  of  battle. 

up  to  the  King  of  France,  and,  seizing  his  horse 
bj  the  bridle,  turned  him  away,  saying  to  the 
king, 

"  Sire,  it  is  time  to  withdraw.  By  remaining 
here  any  longer  you  will  only  sacrifice  yourself 
to  no  purpose.  Keserve  yourself  to  win  the 
victory  some  other  day." 

So  the  king  turned  and  fled,  a  small  party  of 
his  officers  accompanying  him.  He  fled  to  a 
castle  in  the  neighborhood,  called  the  Castle  of 
La  Broye,  and  sought  refuge  there.  When  the 
party  arrived  the  gates  were  shut,  for  it  was  late 
and  dark.  They  summoned  the  castellan,  or 
keeper  of  the  castle.  He  came  out  upon  the 
battlements  and  demanded  who  was  there. 

The  king  called  out, 

"  Open,  castellan,  open.  It  is  the  fortune  of 
France." 

The  castellan  knew  the  king's  voice,  and  or- 
dered the  gate  to  be  opened,  and  the  drawbridge 
to  be  let  down.  The  king  and  his  party,  which 
consisted  of  only  five  persons,  went  in.  They 
remained  at  the  castle  only  a  short  time  to  take 
some  wine  and  other  refreshment,  and  then  set 
out  again,  at  midnight,  with  guides  furnished 
them  by  the  castellan,  and  rode  to  Amiens, 
which,  being  a  large  and  well-fortified  town,  was 
at  least  a  temporary  place  of  safety. 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  99 

Account  of  the  old  King  of  Bohemia. 

But,  though  the  king  himself  thus  made  his 
escape,  a  great  many  of  the  knights  and  gener- 
als in  his  army  would  not  fly,  but  remained 
fighting  on  the  field  until  they  were  killed. 
There  was  one  of  the  king's  allies,  the  King  of 
Bohemia,  whose  death,  if  the  legends  which 
have  come  down  to  us  respecting  this  battle  are 
true,  occurred  under  very  extraordinary  circum- 
stances. He  was  present  with  the  army,  not  as 
a  combatant,  for  he  was  old  and  blind,  and  thus 
completely  helpless.  He  came,  it  would  seem, 
to  accompany  his  son,  who  was  an  active  com- 
mander in  Philip's  army.  His  son  was  danger- 
ously wounded,  and  forced  to  abandon  the  field, 
and  the  old  king  was  so  overwhelmed  with 
chagrin  at  the  result  of  the  battle,  and  so  en- 
raged at  the  fate  of  his  son,  that  he  determined 
to  charge  upon  the  enemy  himself.  So  he 
placed  himself  between  two  knights,  who  inter- 
laced the  bridle  of  his  horse  with  the  bridles  of 
theirs,  for  the  king  himself  could  not  see  to 
guide  the  reins,  and  in  this  manner  they  rode 
into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  where  the  Black 
Prince  was  contending.  They  were  all  almost 
immediately  killed. 

Prince  Edward  was  so  much  struck  with  this 
spectacle,  that  he  adopted  the  motto  on  the  old- 
king's  shield  for  his.  This  motto  was  the  Ger- 


100  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Origin  of  the  motto  and  device  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

man  phrase  Ich  dien,  under  three  plumes.  The 
words  mean  /  serve.  This  motto  and  device 
have  been  borne  in  the  coat  of  arms  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  from  that  day  to  this. 

At  the  close  of  the  battle  the  soldiers  kindled 
up  great  fires  on  account  of  the  darkness  of  the 
night,  and  in  the  light  of  them  King  Edward 
<3ame  down  from  his  post  on  the  hill,  his  heart 
full  of  exultation  and  joy  at  the  greatness  of 
the  victory  which  his  army  had  achieved,  and 
at  the  glory  of  his  son.  In  front  of  the  whole 
army,  he  took  his  son  in  his  arms  and  kissed 
him,  and  said, 

"  My  dear  son,  God  give  you  grace  to  per- 
severe as  you  have  begun.  You  are  my  true 
son,  for  loyally  you  have  acquitted  yourself  this 
day,  and  well  do  you  deserve  a  crown." 

Edward  received  these  honors  in  a  very  mod- 
est and  unassuming  manner.  He  bowed  rever- 
entially before  his  father,  and  attributed  to  oth- 
ers rather  than  to  himself  the  success  of  the  day. 
His  modesty  and  generosity  of  demeanor,  con- 
nected with  the  undaunted  bravery  which  he 
had  really  evinced  in  the  fight,  caused  the  whole 
army  to  feel  an  enthusiastic  admiration  for  him, 
and,  as  fast  as  tidings  of  these  events  extended, 
all  Europe  was  filled  with  his  fame. 

After  gaining  this  great  battle  Edward  march 


THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  101 

Fate  of  Calais.  The  six  citizens. 

ed  to  Calais,  a  very  important  sea-port  on  the 
coast,  to  the  northward  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Somme,  and  laid  siege  to  that  town ;  and,  al- 
though it  was  so  strongly  fortified  that  he  could 
not  force  his  way  into  it,  he  succeeded  at  length 
in  starving  the  inhabitants  into  a  surrender. 
He  was  so  exasperated  at  the  obstinate  resist- 
ance of  the  people,  that  at  last,  when  they  were 
ready  to  surrender,  he  declared  that  he  would 
only  spare  their  lives  on  condition  that  six  of 
the  principal  inhabitants  should  come  out  to  his 
camp  barefooted,  bareheaded,  and  with  halters 
about  their  necks,  iii  order  that  they  might  be 
hung  immediately.  These  cruel  terms  were 
complied  with.  Six  of  the  principal  inhabit- 
ants of  the  town  volunteered  to  give  themselves 
up  as  victims.  They  proceeded  to  Edward's 
camp,  but  their  lives  were  saved  by  the  inter- 
position of  Philippa,^  the  queen,  Prince  Edward's 
mother.  The  king  was  exceedingly  unwilling 
to  spare  them,  but  he  could  not  resist  the  en- 
treaties of  Philippa,  though  he  said  he  wished 
she  had  been  somewhere  else,  so  as  not  to  have 
interfered  with  his  revenge. 

Edward  and  all  his  army,  with  the  queen  and 
Prince  Edward,  marched  into  Calais  with  great 
pomp  and  parade.  Soon  after  their  entrance 
into  the  town  a  daughter  was  born  to  Philippa, 


102  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Margaret  of  Calais.  John  of  Gaunt 

who  was  called,  from  the  place  of  her  nativity, 
Margaret  of  Calais. 

Besides  this  sister  Margaret,  Prince  Edward 
had  a  brother  born  on  the  Continent  of  Europe. 
His  name  was  John,  and  he  was  born  in  Ghent. 
He  was  called  John  of  Ghent,  or,  as  the  English 
historians  generally  wrote  it,  John  of  Gaunt. 

After  the  taking  of  Calais  there  were  othev 
campaigns  and  battles,  and  more  victories,  some 
upon  one  side  and  some  upon  the  other;  and 
then,  when  both  parties  were  so  exhausted  that 
their  strength  was  gone,  while  yet  their  hostil- 
ity and  hate  continued  unappeased,  a  truce  was 
made.  Then  after  the  truce  came  new  wars, 
and  thus  years  rolled  on.  During  all  this  time 
the  Black  Prince  distinguished  himself  greatly 
as  one  of  the  chief  of  his  father's  generals.  He 
grew  up  to  full  manhood ;  and  while,  like  the 
other  warlike  chieftains  of  those  days,  his  life 
was  devoted  to  deeds  of  rapine  and  murder, 
there  was  in  his  demeanor  toward  those  with 
whom  he  was  at  peace,  and  toward  enemies  who 
were  entirely  subdued,  a  certain  high-toned  no- 
bleness and  generosity  of  character,  which,  com- 
bined with  his  undaunted  courage,  and  his  ex- 
traordinary strength  and  prowess  on  the  field 
of  battle,  made  him  one  of  the  greatest  lights  of 
chivalry  of  his  age. 


A.D.  1356.]  BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.    103 

The  Black  Prince  sets  out  for  France. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS. 

IN  process  of  time,  Philip,  the  King  of  France, 
against  whom  these  wars  had  been  waged, 
died,  and  John  succeeded  him.  In  the  course 
of  the  reign  of  John,  the  Black  Prince,  when  he 
was  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  set  out  from 
England,  at  the  head  of  a  large  body  of  men,  to 
invade  France  on  the  southern  and  western 
side.  His  first  destination  was  Gascony,  a  coun- 
try in  the  southern  part  of  France,  between  the 
Garonne,  the  Pyrenees,  and  the  sea.* 

From  London  he  went  to  Plymouth,  where 
the  fleet  had  been  assembled  in  which  he  was 
to  sail.  He  was  accompanied  on  his  march  by 
an  immense  number  of  nobles  and  barons,  all 
splendidly  equipped  and  armed,  and  full  of  en- 
thusiastic expectations  of  the  glory  which  they 
were  to  acquire  in  serving  in  such  a  campaign, 
under  so  famed  and  brilliant  a  commander. 

The  fleet  which  awaited  the  army  at  Plym- 
outh consisted  of  three  hundred  vessels.  The 
expedition  was  detained  for  a  long  time  in  the 
*  See  map  on  page  1 10. 


KING  RICHARD  II. 


The  ships  of  those  days.  Plymouth, 

port,  waiting  for  a  fair  wind  and  good  weather. 
At  length  the  favorable  time  arrived.  The 
army  embarked,  and  the  ships  set  sail  in  sight 
of  a  vast  assemblage,  formed  by  people  of  the 
surrounding  country,  who  crowded  the  shores 
to  witness  the  spectacle. 

The  ships  of  those  times  were  not  large,  and, 
judging  from  some  of  the  pictures  that  have 
come  down  to  us,  they  were  of  very  odd  con- 
struction. On  the  adjoining  page  is  a  copy  of 
one  of  these  pictures,  from  an  ancient  manu- 
script of  about  this  time. 

These  pictures,  however,  are  evidently  in- 
tended rather  as  symbdls  of  ships,  as  it  were, 
than  literally  correct  representations  of  them. 
Still,  we  can  deduce  from  them  some  general 
idea  of  the  form  and  structure  actually  employ- 
ed in  the  naval  architecture  of  those  times. 

Prince  Edward's  fleet  had  a  prosperous  voy- 
age, and  his  army  landed  safely  in  Gascony. 
Soon  after  landing  he  commenced  his  march 
through  the  country  to  the  eastward,  pillaging, 
burning,  and  destroying  wherever  he  went 
The  inhabitants  of  the  country,  whom  the  prog- 
ress of  his  march  thus  overwhelmed  with  ruin, 
had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  quarrel 
between  his  father  and  the  King  of  France.  It 
made  very  little  difference  to  them  under  whosf 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         107 

The  prince  ravages  the  country. 

reign  they  lived.  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that 
far  the  greater  portion  of  them  had  never  even 
heard  of  the  quarrel.  They  were  quietly  en- 
gaged in  their  various  industrial  pursuits,  dream- 
ing probably  of  no  danger,  until  the  advance  of 
this  army,  coming  upon  them  mysteriously,  no 
one  knew  whither,  like  a  plague,  or  a  tornado, 
or  a  great  conflagration,  drove  them  from  their 
homes,  and  sent  them  flying  about  the  country 
in  all  directions  in  terror  and  despair.  The 
prince  enjoyed  the  credit  and  the  fame  of  being 
a  generous  and  magnanimous  prince.  But  his 
generosity  and  magnanimity  were  only  shown 
toward  knights,  and  nobles,  and  princes  like 
himself,  for  it  was  only  when  such  as  these  were 
the  objects  of  these  virtues  that  he  could  gain 
credit  and  fame  by  the  display  of  them. 

In  this  march  of  devastation  and  destruction 
the  prince  overran  all  the  southern  part  of 
France.  One  of  his  attendants  in  this  campaign, 
a  knight  who  served  in  the  prince's  household, 
in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  back  to  England  from 
Bordeaux,  gave  the  following  summary  of  the 
results  of  the  expedition  : 


lottr  rotoe  tftus  abroad  fn  tfte  countrfe  of  f)f0 
enfmfes  efatt  toftole  toeefces,  antt  restetr  not  past  eleben 
tinfes  fn  all  those  places  tulirrc  lie  rame.  3nti  knob)  ft 
for  certefne  tjjat  sfnce  ttfs  toarre  began  ajjafnst  t&e 


108  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1356. 

Progress  of  the  Black  Prince.  The  country  laid  waste. 


ftfnjj,  fte  f)atJ  neuer  suet)  losse  or  trestructfon  as 

tic  fiat  1)  Iiati  fit  tills  fournfe  ;  for  tlir  countries  ant)  floot) 
totames  to  inch  lucre  lunstct)  fn  tins  fournfe  fount)  to  tiie 
B  fnjj  of  JFrance  euerfe  geare  more  to  tfje  mafntafnance 
of  tjfs  toarre  tlinn  fjalf  fjfs  realme  fjati)  Uoon  besfUe,  ev- 
cept,  *rc. 

After  having  thus  laid  waste  the  southern 
coast,  the  prince  turned  his  course  northward, 
toward  the  heart  of  the  country,  carrying  de- 
vastation and  destruction  with  him  wherever  he 
came.  He  advanced  through  Auvergne  and 
Berri,  two  provinces  in  the  central  part  of 
France.  His  army  was  not  very  large,  for  it 
consisted  of  only  about  eight  thousand  men. 
It  was,  however,  very  compact  and  efficient,  and 
the  prince  advanced  at  the  head  of  it  in  a  very 
slow  and  cautious  manner.  He  depended  for 
the  sustenance  of  his  soldiers  on  the  supplies 
which  he  could  obtain  from  the  country  itself. 
Accordingly,  he  moved  slowly  from  town  to 
town,  so  as  not  to  fatigue  his  soldiers  by  too 
long  marches,  nor  exhaust  them  by  too  frequent 
battles.  "When  he  was  entered  anie  towne,'' 
says  the  old  chronicler,  "that  was  sufficientlie 
stored  of  things  necessarie,  he  would  tarrie  there 
two  or  three  daies  to  refresh  his  soldiers  and 
men  of  warre,  and  when  they  dislodged  they 
would  strike  out  the  heads  of  the  wine  vessels, 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         11-, 


The  King  of  !•  ranee  comes  to  meet  the  Black  Prince. 


and  burne  the  wheat,  oats,  and  barlie,  and  all 
other  things  which  they  could  not  take  with 
them,  to  the  intent  that  their  enimies  should  nou 
therewith  be  sustained  and  nourished." 

At  length,  while  the  prince  was  advancing 
through  the  province  of  Berri,  and  approaching 
the  River  Loire,  he  learned  that  the  King  of 
France,  John,  had  assembled  a  great  army  at 
Paris,  and  was  coming  down  to  meet  him. 
Large  detachments  from  this  army  had  already 
advanced  as  far  as  the  banks  of  the  Loire,  and 
all  the  important  points  on  that  river  had  been 
taken  possession  of,  and  were  strongly  guarded 
by  them.  The  king  himself,  at  the  head  of  the 
main  force,  had  reached  Chartres,  and  was  rap- 
idly advancing.  The  prince  heard  this  news  at 
a  certain  castle  which  he  had  taken,  and  where 
he  had  stopped  some  days  to  refresh  his  men. 

A  council  of  war  was  held  to  determine  what 
should  be  done.  The  prevailing  voice  at  this 
council  was  in  favor  of  not  attempting  to  cross 
the  Loire  in  the  face  of  such  an  enemy,  but  of 
turning  to  the  westward  toward  the  province 
of  Poitou,  through  which  a  way  of  retreat  to 
the  southward  would  be  open  in  case  a  retreat 
should  be  necessary.  The  prince  determined 
to  accept  this  advice,  and  so  he  put  his  army  in. 
motion  toward  the  town  of  Romorantin. 


112  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Ambuscade  near  Komorantin.  Keconnoitring  party. 

Now  the  King  of  France  had  sent  a  detach- 
ment of  his  troops,  under  the  command  of  three 
famous  knights,  across  the  Loire.  This  detach- 
ment consisted  of  about  three  hundred  horse- 
men, all  armed  from  head  to  foot,  and  mounted 
on  swift  chargers.  This  squadron  had  been 
hovering  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  English 
army  for  some  days,  watching  for  an  opportu- 
nity to  attack  them,  but  without  success.  Now, 
foreseeing  that  Edward  would  attempt  to  enter 
Romorantin,  they  pushed  forward  in  a  stealthy 
manner  to  the  neighborhood  of  that  town,  and 
placed  themselves  in  ambush  at  the  sides  of  a 
narrow  and  solitary  gorge  in  the  mountains, 
through  which  they  knew  the  English  must 
necessarily  pass. 

On  the  same  day  that  the  French  knights 
formed  this  ambush,  several  of  the  commanders 
in  Edward's  army  asked  leave  to  take  a  troop 
of  two  hundred  men  from  the  English  army, 
and  ride  forward  to  the  gates  of  the  town,  in 
order  to  reconnoitre  the  place,  and  ascertain 
whether  the  way  was  clear  for  the  main  body 
of  the  army  to  approach.  Edward  gave  them 
permission,  and  they  set  forward.  As  might 
have  been  expected,  they  fell  into  the  snare 
•which  the  French  knights  had  laid  for  them. 
The  Frenchmen  remained  quiet  and  still  in  their 


BATTLE  OF  FOICTIERS.         113 

The  English  troop  surprised.  The  Trench  surprised  in  their  turn. 

hiding-places,  and  allowed  the  English  to  pass 
on  through  the  defile.  Then,  as  soon  as  they 
had  passed,  the  French  rushed  out  and  galloped 
after  them,  with  their  spears  in  their  rests,  all 
ready  for  a  charge. 

The  English  troop,  hearing  the  sound  of  the 
galloping  of  horses  in  the  road  behind  them, 
turned  round  to  see  what  was  coming.  To  their 
dismay,  they  found  that  a  troop  of  their  enemies 
was  close  upon  them,  and  that  they  were  hem- 
med in  between  them  and  the  town.  A  furious 
battle  ensued.  The  English,  though  they  were 
somewhat  fewer  in  number  than  the  French,, 
seem  to  have  been  made  desperate  by  their  dan- 
ger, and  they  fought  like  tigers. x  For  a  time  it 
was  uncertain  which  way  the  contest  would 
turn,  but  at  length,  while  the 'victory  was  still 
undecided,  the  van  of  the  main  body  of  the  En- 
glish army  began  to  arrive  upon  the  ground. 
The  French  now  saw  that  they  were  in  danger 
of  being  overpowered  with  numbers,  and  they 
immediately  began  to  retreat.  They  fled  in  the 
direction  of  the  town.  The  English  followed 
them  in  a  headlong  pursuit,  filling  the  air  with 
their  shouts,  and  with  the  clanking  of  their  iron 
armor  as  the  horses  galloped  furiously  along. 

At  length  they  reached  the  gates  of  the  townr 
and  the  whole  throng  of  horsemen,  pursuers 

8—8 


114  KING  RICHARD  II. 


The  French  retreat  to  the  castle. 


and  pursued,  pressed  in  together.  The  French 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  castle,  and,  as  soon  as 
they  got  in,  they  shut  the  gates  and  secured 
themselves  there,  but  the  English  got  possession 
of  the  town.  As  soon  as  Edward  came  in,  he 
sent  a  summons  to  the  people  in  the  castle  to 
surrender.  They  refused.  Edward  then  or- 
dered his  men  to  prepare  for  an  assault  on  the 
following  day. 

Accordingly,  on  the  following  day  the  assault 
was  made.  The  battle  was  continued  all  day, 
but  without  success  on  the  part  of  the  assailants, 
and  when  the  evening  came  on  Edward  was 
obliged  to  call  off  his  men. 

The  next  morning,  at  a  very  early  hour,  the 
men  were  called  to  arms  again.  A  new  assault- 
ing force  was  organized,  and  at  sunrise  the  trum- 
pet sounded  the  order  for  them  to  advance  to 
the  attack.  Prince  Edward  himself  took  the 
command  at  this  trial,  and  by  his  presence  and 
his  example  incited  the  men  to  make  the  great- 
est possible  efforts  to  batter  down  the  gates  and 
to  scale  the  walls.  Edward  was  excited  to  a 
high  degree  of  resentment  and  rage  against  the 
garrison  of  the  castle,  not  only  on  account  of  the 
general  obstinacy  of  their  resistance,  but  be- 
cause, on  the  preceding  day,  a  squire,  who  was 
attendant  upon  him,  and  to  whom  he  was  strong- 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         117 

The  castle  besieged.  Crossing  the  ditch.  Engines. 

ly  attached,  was  killed  at  his  side  by  a  stone 
hurled  from  the  castle  wall.  When  he  saw  this 
man  fall,  he  took  a  solemn  oath  that  he  would 
never  leave  the  place  until  he  had  the  castle  and 
all  that  were  in  it  in  his  power. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  of  his  sol- 
diers, the  castle  still  held  out.  Edward's  troops 
thronged  the  margin  of  the  ditch,  and  shot  ar- 
rows so  incessantly  at  the  battlements  that  the 
garrison  could  scarcely  show  themselves  for  an 
instant  on  the  walls.  Finally,  they  made  hur- 
dles and  floats  of  various  kinds,  by  means  of 
which  large  numbers  succeeded,  half  by  swim- 
ming and  half  by  floating,  to  get  across  the 
ditch,  and  then  began  to  dig  in  under  the  wall,, 
while  the  garrison  attempted  to  stop  their  work 
by  throwing  down  big  stones  upon  their  heads,, 
and  pots  of  hot  lime  to  eat  out  their  eyes. 

At  another  part  the  besiegers  constructed 
great  engines,  such  as  were  used  in  those  days, 
in  the  absence  of  cannon,  for  throwing  rocks 
and  heavy  beams  of  wood,  to  batter  the  walls. 
These  machines  also  threw  a  certain  extraordi- 
nary combustible  substance  called  Greek  fire. 
It  was  this  Greek  fire  that,  in  the  end,  turned 
the  scale  of  victory,  for  it  caught  in  the  lower 
court  of  the  castle,  where  it  burned  so  furiously 
that  it  baffled  all  the  efforts  of  the  besieged  to 


118  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1356. 

The  castle  taken.  King  John  and  hid  four  gont. 

» 

extinguish  it,  and  at  length  they  were  compel- 
led to  surrender.  Edward  made  the  principal 
commanders  prisoners,  but  he  let  the  others  go 
free.  The  castle  itself  he  utterly  destroyed. 

Having  thus  finished  this  work,  Edward  re- 
sumed his  march,  passing  on  to  the  westward 
through  Touraine,  to  avoid  the  French  king, 
who  he  knew  was  coming  down  upon  him  from 
the  direction  of  Chartres  at  the  head  of  an  over- 
whelming army.  King  John  advanced  to  the 
Loire,  and  sending  different  detachments  of  his 
army  to  different  points,  with  orders  to  cross  at 
any  bridges  that  they  could  find,  he  himself 
came  to  Blois,  where  he  crossed  the  river  to 
Amboise,  and  thence  proceeded  to  Loches. 
Here  he  learned  that  the  English  were  moving 
off  to  the  westward,  through  Touraine,  in  hopes 
to  make  their  escape.  He  set  off  after  them  at 
full  speed. 

He  had  four  sons  with  him  in  his  army,  all 
young  men.  Their  names  were  Charles,  Louis, 
John,  and  Philip. 

At  length  the  two  armies  began  to  approach 
each  other  near  the  town  of  Poictiers. 

In  the  mean  time,  while  the  crisis  had  thus 
been  gradually  approaching,  the  Pope,  who  was 
at  this  time  residing  at  Avignon  in  France,  sent 
one  of  his  cardinals  to  act  as  intercessor  between 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIEKS.         119 

Attempt  of  the  Pope's  legate  to  make  peace. 

the  belligerents,  in  hopes  of  bringing  them  to  a 
peace.  At  the  time  when  the  two  armies  had 
drawn  near  to  each  other  and  the  battle  seem- 
ed imminent,  the  cardinal  was  at  Poictiers,  and 
just  as  the  King  of  France  was  marshaling  his 
troops  in  the  order  of  battle,  and  preparing  for 
the  onset,  the  cardinal,  at  the  head  of  his  suite 
of  attendants,  galloped  out  to  the  king's  camp, 
and,  riding  up  to  him  at  full  speed,  he  begged 
him  to  pause  a  moment  that  he  might  speak  to 
him. 

The  king  gave  him  leave  to  speak,  and  he 
thus  began : 

"Most  dear  sire,"  said  he,  "you  have  here 
with  you  a  great  and  powerful  army,  command- 
ed by  the  flower  of  the  knighthood  of  your 
whole  kingdom.  The  English,  compared  with 
you,  are  but  a  handful.  They  are  wholly  un- 
able to  resist  you.  You  can  make  whatever 
terms  with  them  you  please,  and  it  will  be  far 
more  honorable  and  praiseworthy  in  you  to 
spare  their  lives,  and  the  lives  of  your  gallant 
followers,  by  making  peace  with  them  011  such 
terms  as  you  may  think  right,  without  a  battle, 
than  to  fight  with  them  and  destroy  them.  I 
entreat  you,  therefore,  sire,  that  before  you  pro- 
ceed any  farther,  you  will  allow  me  to  go  ;to  the 
English  camp  to  represent  to  the  prince  the 


120  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Negotiations  of  the  1'ope'r  .ejrate.  The  English  camp. 

great  danger  he  is  in,  ana  ^o  see  what  terms  you 
can  make  with  him." 

"Very  well,"  replied  the  king.  "We  have 
no  objection.  Go,  but  make  haste  back  again." 

The  cardinal  immediately  set  off,  and  rode 
with  all  speed  into  the  English  camp.  The  En- 
glish troops  had  posted  themselves  at  a  spot 
where  they  were  in  a  great  measure  concealed 
and  protected  among  hedges,  vineyards,  and 
groves.  The  cardinal  advanced  through  a  nar< 
row  lane,  and  came  up  to  the  English  prince  at 
last,  whom  he  found  in  a  vineyard.  The  prince 
was  on  foot,  and  was  surrounded  by  knights 
and  armed  men,  with  whom  he  was  arranging 
the  plan  of  the  battle. 

The  prince  received  the  cardinal  very  gra- 
ciously, and  heard  what  he  had  to  say.  The 
cardinal  represented  to  him  how  overwhelming 
was  the  force  which  the  King  of  France  had 
brought  against  him,  and  how  imminent  the 
danger  was  that  he  and  all  his  forces  would  be 
totally  destroyed  in  case  of  a  conflict,  and  urged 
him,  for  the  sake  of  humanity  as  well  as  from  a 
proper  regard  for  his  own  interest,  to  enter  into 
negotiations  for  peace. 

Prince  Edward  replied  that  he  had  no  objec- 
•^ion  to  enter  into  such  negotiations,  and  that  he 
Was  willing  to  accept  of  terms  of  peace,  pro- 


BATTLE  OF  I^OICTIERS.         121 

The  cardinal  obtains  a  truce.  The  king's  pavilion. 

vided  his  own  honor  and  that  of  his  army  were 
saved. 

The  cardinal  then  returned  to  the  King  of 
France,  and  reported  to  him  what  the  prince 
had  said,  and  he  entreated  the  king  to  grant  a 
truce  until  the  next  morning,  in  order  to  afford 
time  for  the  negotiations. 

The  knights  and  barons  that  were  around  the 
king  were  very  unwilling  that  he  should  listen 
to  this  proposal.  They  were  fierce  for  the  bat- 
tle, and  could  not  brook  the  idea  of  delay.  But 
the  cardinal  was  so  urgent,  and  he  pleaded  so 
strongly  and  so  eloquently  for  peace,  that,  final- 
ly, the  king  yielded. 

"  But  we  will  not  leave  our  posts,"  said  he. 
"  We  will  remain  on  the  ground  ready  for  the 
onset  to-morrow  morning,  unless  our  terms  are 
accepted  before  that  time." 

So  they  brought  the  royal  tent,  which  was  a 
magnificent  pavilion  of  red  silk,  and  pitched  it 
on  the  field  for  the  king.  The  army  were  dis- 
missed to  their  quarters  until  the  following  day. 

The  time  when  this  took  place  was  early  in 
the  morning.  The  day  was  Sunday.  During 
all  the  rest  of  the  day  the  cardinal  was  employ- 
ed in  riding  back  and  forth  between  the  two 
armies,  conveying  proposals  and  counter-propo- 
sals, and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  effect  an  ar- 


122  KING  RICHARD  II. 

King  John's  demands.  I'rince  Edward  will  not  yield  to  them. 

rangement.  But  all  his  efforts  were  unsuccess- 
ful. King  John  demanded  that  four  of  the  prin- 
cipal persons  in  Edward's  army  should  be  giv- 
en up  unconditionally  to  his  will,  and  that  the 
whole  army  should  surrender  themselves  as 
prisoners  of  war.  This  Prince  Edward  would 
not  consent  to.  He  was  willing,  he  said,  to  give 
up  all  the  French  prisoners  that  he  had  in  cus- 
tody, and  also  to  restore  all  the  castles  and  towns 
which  he  had  taken  from  the  French.  He  was 
also  willing  to  bind  himself  for  seven  years  not 
to  take  up  arms  against  the  King  of  France. 
But  all  this  did  not  satisfy  John.  He  finally 
offered  that,  if  the  prince  would  surrender  him- 
self and  one  hundred  knights  as  prisoners  of 
war,  he  would  let  the  rest  of  the  army  go  free, 
and  declared  that  that  was  his  ultimatum. 
Prince  Edward  positively  refused  to  accept  any 
such  conditions,  and  so  the  cardinal,  greatly  dis- 
appointed at  the  failure  of  his  efforts,  gave  up 
the  case  as  hopeless,  and  returned  with  a  sad 
and  sorrowful  heart  to  Poictiers. 

An  anecdote  is  related  in  this  connection  by 
one  of  the  ancient  chroniclers,  which  illustrates 
curiously  some  of  the  ideas  and  manners  of  those 
times.  During  the  course  of  the  day,  while  the 
truce  was  in  force,  and  the  cardinal  was  going 
back  and  forth  between  the  two  armies,  parties 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         123 

Story  of  the  two  knights.  Coats  of  arms. 

of  knights  belonging  to  the  two  encampments 
rode  out  from  time  to  time  from  their  own  quar- 
ters along  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  to  see  what 
was  to  be  seen.  In  these  cases  they  sometimes 
met  each  other,  and  held  conversation  together, 
both  parties  being  bound  in  honor  by  the  truce 
not  to  commit  any  act  of  hostility.  There  was 
a  certain  English  knight,  named  Sir  John  Chan- 
dos,  who  in  this  way  met  a  French  knight 
named  Clermont.  Both  these  knights  were 
mounted  and  fully  armed.  It  was  the  custom 
in  those  days  for  each  knight  to  have  something 
peculiar  in  the  style  of  his  armor  to  distinguish 
him  from  the  rest,  and  it  was  particularly  the 
usage  for  each  one  to  have  a  certain  device  and 
motto  on  his  shield,  or  on  some  other  conspic- 
uous position  of  his  clothing.  These  devices 
and  mottoes  are  the  origin  of  the  coats  of  arms 
in  use  at  the  present  day. 

It  happened  that  the  device  of  these  two 
knights  was  nearly  the  same.  It  consisted  of  a 
representation  of  the  Virgin  Mary  embroidered 
in  blue,  and  surrounded  by  a  radiance  of  sun- 
beams. Clermont,  on  perceiving  that  the  de- 
vice of  Chandos  was  so  similar  to  his  own,  call- 
ed out  to  him  when  he  came  near,  demanding, 

"How  long  is  it,  sir,  since  you  have  taken 
the  liberty  to  wear  my  arms?" 


124  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Quarrel  between  the  two  knights.  Preparations  for  the  battle. 

"  It  is  you  yourself  who  are  wearing  mine," 
said  Chandos. 

"It  is  false,"  replied  Clermont;  "and  if  it 
were  not  for  the  truce,  I  would  soon  show  you 
to  whom  that  device  rightfully  belongs." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Chandos.  "  To-mor- 
row, when  the  truce  is  over,  you  will  find  me 
on  the  field  ready  to  settle  the  question  with 
you  by  force  of  arms." 

With  that  the  angry  noblemen  parted,  and 
each  rode  back  to  his  own  lines. 

Early  on  Monday  morning  both  armies  pre- 
pared for  battle.  The  cardinal,  however,  being 
extremely  unwilling  to  give  up  all  hope  of  pre- 
venting the  conflict,  came  out  again,  at  a  very 
early  hour,  to  the  French  camp,  and  made  an 
effort  to  renew  the  negotiations.  But  the  king 
peremptorily  refused  to  listen  to  him,  and  or- 
dered him  to  be  gone.  He  would  not  listen,  he 
said,  to  any  more  pretended  treaties  or  pacifica- 
tions. So  the  cardinal  perceived  that  he  must 
go  away,  and  leave  the  armies  to  their  fate.  He 
called  at  Prince  Edward's  camp  and  bade  him 
farewell,  saying  that  he  had  done  all  in  his  pow- 
er to  save  him,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  He  then 
returned  to  Poictiers. 

The  two  armies  now  prepared  for  battle.  The 
King  of  France  clothed  himself  in  his  royal  ar- 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         125 

English  position.  The  horses  and  the  barbed  arrows. 

mor,  and  nineteen  of  his  knights  were  armed  in 
the  same  manner,  in  order  to  prevent  the  enemy 
from  being  able  to  single  out  the  king  on  the 
field.  This  was  a  common  stratagem  employed 
on  such  occasions.  The  English  were  strongly 
posted  on  a  hill  side,  among  vineyards  and 
groves.  The  approach  to  their  position  was 
through  a  sort  of  lane  bordered  by  hedges.  The 
English  archers  were  posted  along  these  hedges, 
and  when  the  French  troops  attempted  to  ad- 
vance, the  archers  poured  such  a  shower  of 
barbed  arrows  into  the  horses'  sides,  that  they 
.soon  threw  them  into  confusion.  The  barbed 
arrows  could  not  be  withdrawn,  and  the  horses, 
terrified  with  the  stinging  pain,  would  rear,  and 
plunge,  and  turn  round  upon  those  behind  them, 
until  at  length  the  lane  was  filled  with  horses 
and  horsemen  piled  together  in  confusion.  Now, 
when  once  a  scene  of  confusion  like  this  oc- 
•curred  upon  a  field  of  battle,  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  recover  from  it,  for  the  iron  armor 
which  these  knights  wore  was  so  heavy  and  so 
cumbersome,  that  when  once  they  were  un- 
horsed they  could  not  mount  again,  and  some- 
times could  not  even  rise,  but  writhed  and  strug- 
gled helplessly  on  the  ground  until  their  squires 
•came  to  relieve  them. 

The  battle  raged  for  many  hours,  but,  con- 


126  KING  KICHARD  II.  [A.D.1356. 

The  English  victorious.  Fate  of  the  king's  sons. 

trary  to  the  universal  expectation,  the  English 
were  every  where  victorious.  Whether  this 
was  owing  to  the  superior  discipline  of  the  En- 
glish troops,  or  to  the  reckless  desperation  with 
which  their  situation  inspired  them,  or  to  the 
compact  disposition  that  the  prince  had  made 
of  his  forces,  or  to  the  shelter  and  protection  af- 
forded by  the  trees,  and  hedges,  and  vines, 
among  which  they  were  posted,  or  to  the  supe- 
rior talents  of  the  Black  Prince  as  a  command- 
ing officer,  or  to  all  these  causes  combined,  it  is 
impossible  to  say.  The  result  was,  however, 
that  the  French  were  every  where  overcome, 
thrown  into  confusion,  and  put  to  flight.  Three 
of  the  French  king's  sons  were  led  off  early 
from  the  field,  their  attendants  excusing  their 
flight  by  their  anxiety  to  save  the  princes  from 
being  taken  prisoners  or  put  to  death.  A  large 
squadron  were  driven  off  on  the  road  to  Poic- 
tiers.  The  inhabitants  of  Poictiers,  seeing  them 
coming,  shut  the  gates  to  keep  them  out,  and 
the  horsemen,  pursuers  and  pursued,  became 
jammed  together  in  a  confused  mass  at  the  gates, 
and  on  the  causeway  leading  to  them,  where 
they  trampled  upon  and  killed  each  other  by 
hundreds.  In  every  other  direction,  too,  detach- 
ed portions  of  the  two  armies  were  engaged  in 
desperate  conflicts,  and  the  air  was  filled  with 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIEES.         127 

The  victory  announced  to  the  prince.  The  men  called  in. 

the  clangor  of  arms,  the  notes  of  the  trumpets, 
the  shouts  of  the  victors,  and  the  shrieks  and 
groans  of  the  wounded  and  dying. 

At  length  Sir  John  Chandos,  who  had  fought 
in  company  with  Prince  Edward  all  the  day, 
advanced  to  the  prince,  and  announced  to  him 
that  he  thought  the  battle  was  over. 

"Victory!"  said  he,  "victory!  The  enemy 
is  beaten  and  driven  wholly  off  the  ground.  It 
is  time  to  halt  and  to  call  in  our  men.  They 
are  getting  greatly  scattered.  I  have  taken  a 
survey  of  the  ground,  and  I  do  not  see  any 
where  any  French  banners  flying,  or  any  con- 
siderable bodies  of  French  troops  remaining. 
The  whole  army  is  dispersed." 

So  the  king  gave  orders  to  halt,  and  the  trum- 
pets blew  the  signal  for  the  men  to  cease  from 
the  pursuit  of  their  enemies,  and  to  gather  again 
around  the  prince's  banner.  They  set  up  the 
banner  upon  a  high  bush,  near  where  the  prince 
was  standing,  and  the  minstrels,  gathering 
around  it,  began  to  play  in  honor  of  the  vic- 
tory, while  the  trumpets  in  the  distance  were 
sounding  to  recall  the  men. 

The  officers  of  the  prince's  household  brought 
the  royal  tent,  a  beautiful  pavilion  of  crimson 
silk,  and  pitched  it  on  the  spot.     They  brought  • 
wine,  too,  and  other  refreshments ;  and  as  the 


128  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Gathering  at  the  prince's  tent         Two  barona  sent  to  look  for  the  king. 

knights,  and  barons,  and  other  noble  warriors 
arrived  at  the  tent,  the  prince  offered  them  re- 
freshments, and  received  their  congratulations 
on  the  great  deliverance  which  they  had 
achieved.  A  great  many  prisoners  were  brought 
in  by  the  returning  knights  to  be  held  for  ran- 
som. 

While  the  knights  and  nobles  were  thus  re- 
joicing together  around  the  prince's  tent,  the 
prince  asked  if  any  one  knew  what  had  become 
of  the  King  of  France.  No  one  could  answer. 
So  the  prince  dispatched  two  trusty  barons  to* 
ride  over  the  field  and  see  if  they  could  learn 
any  tidings  of  him.  The  barons  mounted  their 
horses  at  the  door  of  the  pavilion  and  rode 
away.  They  proceeded  first  to  a  small  hillock 
which  promised  to  afford  a  good  view.  When 
they  reached  the  top  of  this  hillock,  they  saw 
at  some  distance  a  crowd  of  men-at-arms  com- 
ing along  together  at  a  certain  part  of  the  field. 
They  were  on  foot,  and  were  advancing  very 
slowly,  and  there  seemed  to  be  some  peculiar 
excitement  among  them,  for  they  were  crowd- 
ing and  pushing  each  other  in  a  remarkable 
manner.  The  truth  was,  that  the  men  had  got 
the  King  of  France  and  his  youngest  son  Philip 
in  their  possession,  and  were  attempting  to  bring 
ihem  in  to  the  prince's  tent,  but  were  quarrel- 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIEKS. 


The  King  of  France  and  his  eon  taken  prisoners.      Quarrel  about  them. 

ing  among  themselves  as  they  came  along,  be- 
ing unable  to  decide  which  of  them  was  entitled 
to  the  custody  of  the  prisoners.  The  barons  im- 
mediately put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and  galloped 
down  the  hill  to  the  spot,  and  demanded  what 
was  the  matter.  The  people  said  that  it  was 
the  King  of  France  and  his  son  who  had  been 
made  prisoners,  and  that  there  were  no  less  than 
ten  knights  and  squires  that  claimed  them. 
These  men  were  wrangling  and  contending  to- 
gether with  so  much  violence  and  noise  that 
there  was  danger  that  the  king  and  the  young 
prince  would  be  pulled  to  pieces  by  them.  The 
king,  in  the  mean  time,  was  entreating  them  to 
be  quiet,  and  begging  them  to  deal  gently  with 
them,  and  take  them  at  once  to  Prince  Ed- 
ward's tent. 

"  Gentlemen,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  I  pray 
you  to  desist,  and  conduct  me  and  my  son  in  a 
courteous  manner  to  my  cousin  the  prince,  and 
do  not  make  such  a  riot  about  us.  There  will 
be  ransom  enough  for  you  all." 

The  contending  knights  and  barons,  howev- 
er, paid  little  heed  to  these  words,  but  went  on 
vociferating,  "It  is  /that  took  him." 

"  I  tell  you  he  is  my  prisoner." 

"  No,  no,  we  took  him.  Let  him  alone.  He 
belongs  to  us" 

8—9 


130  KING  RICHARD  II. 


The  two  barons  take  possession  of  the  prisoners. 


The  two  barons  pressed  their  horses  forward 
into  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  and  drove  the 
knights  back.  They  ordered  them  all,  in  the 
name  of  the  prince,  to  let  go  the  prisoners  and 
retire,  and  they  threatened  to  cut  down  on  the 
spot  any  man  who  refused  to  obey.  The  bar- 
ons then  dismounted,  and,  making  a  profound 
reverence  before  the  king,  they  took  him  and 
his  son  under  their  protection,  and  conducted 
them  to  the  prince's  tent. 

The  prince  received  the  royal  prisoners  in 
the  kindest  and  most  respectful  manner.  He 
made  a  very  low  obeisance  to  the  king,  and 
treated  him  in  every  respect  with  the  utmost 
consideration.  He  provided  him  with  every 
thing  necessary  for  his  comfort,  and  ordered  re- 
freshments to  be  brought,  which  refreshments 
he  presented  to  the  king  himself,  as  if  he  were 
an  honored  and  distinguished  guest  instead  of 
a  helpless  prisoner. 

Although  there  were  so  many  English  knights 
ancT  barons  who  claimed  the  honor  of  having 
made  the  King  of  France  prisoner,  the  person 
to  whom  he  really  had  surrendered  was  a  French 
knight  named  Denys.  Denys  had  formerly 
lived  in  France,  but  he  had  killed  a  man  in  a 
quarrel  there,  and  for  this  crime  his  property 
had  been  confiscated,  and  he  had  been  banished 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         131 

Denys.         His  previous  adventures.          The  king's  surrender  to  him. 

from  the  realm.  He  had  then  gone  to  England, 
where  he  had  entered  into  the  service  of  the 
king,  and,  finally,  had  joined  the  expedition  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales.  This  Denys  happened  to 
be  in  the  part  of  the  field  where  the  King  of 
France  and  his  son  Philip  were  engaged.  The 
king  was  desperately  beset  by  his  foes,  who  were 
calling  upon  him  all  around  in  English  to  sur- 
render. They  did  not  wish  to  kill  him,  pre- 
ferring to  take  him  prisoner  for  the  sake  of  the 
ransom.  The  king  was  not  willing  to  surren- 
der to  any  person  of  inferior  rank,  so  he  con- 
tinued the  struggle,  though  almost  overpower- 
ed. Just  then  Denys  came  up,  and,  calling  out 
to  him  in  French,  advised  him  to  surrender. 
The  king  was  much  pleased  to  hear  the  sound 
of  his  own  language,  and  he  called  out, 

"  To  whom  shall  I  surrender  ?  Who  are 
you?" 

"  I  am  a  French  knight,"  said  Denys ;  "I  was 
banished  from  France,  and  I  now  serve  the  En- 
glish prince.  Surrender  to  me." 

"Where  is  the  prince?"  said  the  king.  "If 
I  could  see  him  I  would  speak  to  him." 

"  He  is  not  here,"  said  Denys ;  "  but  you  had 
better  surrender  to  me,  and  I  will  take  you  im- 
mediately to  the  p£rt  of  the  field  where  he  is." 

So  the  king  drew  off  his  gauntlet,  and  gave 


132  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1356. 

Prince  Edward  makes  a  supper  for  hie  prisoners. 

it  to  Denys  as  a  token  that  he  surrendered  to 
him ;  but  all  the  English  knights  who  were  pres- 
ent crowded  around,  and  claimed  the  prisoner 
as  theirs.  Denys  attempted  to  conduct  the  king 
to  Prince  Edward,  all  the  knights  accompany- 
ing him,  and  struggling  to  get  possession  of  the 
prisoner  by  the  way.  It  was  while  the  conten- 
tion between  Denys  and  these  his  competitors 
was  going  on,  that  the  two  barons  rode  up,  and 
rescued  the  king  and  his  son  from  the  danger 
they  were  in. 

That  night  Prince  Edward  made  a  sumptu- 
ous supper  for  the  king  and  his  son.  The  ta- 
bles were  spread  in  the  prince's  pavilion.  The 
greater  part  of  the  French  knights  and  barons 
who  had  been  taken  prisoners  were  invited  to 
this  banquet.  The  king  and  his  son,  with  a 
few  French  nobles  of  high  rank,  were  placed  at 
an  elevated  table  superbly  appointed  and  ar- 
ranged. There  were  side  tables  set  for  the 
squires  and  knights  of  lower  degree.  Prince 
Edward,  instead  of  seating  himself  at  the  table 
with  the  king,  took  his  place  as  an  attendant, 
and  served  the  king  while  he  ate,  notwithstand- 
ing all  the  entreaties  of  the  king  that  he  would 
not  do  so.  He  said  that  he  was  not  worthy  to 
sit  at  the  table  of  so  great  a  king  and  of  so  val- 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIEBS. 

Generous  demeanor  of  the  prince. 

iant  a  man  as  the  king  had  shown  himself  to  be 
that  day. 

In  a  word,  in  all  his  demeanor  toward  the 
king,  instead  of  triumphing  over  him,  and  boast- 
ing of  the  victory  which  he  had  achieved,  he 
did  every  thing  in  his  power  to  soothe  and  as- 
suage the  fallen  monarch's  sorrow,  and  to  di- 
minish his  chagrin. 

"  You  must  not  allow  yourself  to  be  dejected, 
sire,"  said  he,  "because  the  fortune  of  war  has- 
turned  against  you  this  day.  By  the  manner 
in  which  you  acquitted  yourself  on  the  field, 
you  have  gained  imperishable  renown;  and 
though,  in  the  decision  of  divine  Providence,  the 
battle  has  gone  against  you  for  the  moment,  you 
have  nothing  personally  to  fear  either  for  your- 
self or  for  your  son.  You  may  rely  with  per- 
fect confidence  upon  receiving  the  most  honor- 
able treatment  from  my  father.  I  am  sure  that 
he  will  show  you  every  attention  in  his  power, 
and  that  he  will  arrange  for  your  ransom  in  so- 
liberal  and  generous  a  spirit  that  you  and  he 
will  henceforth  become  warm  and  constant 
friends." 

This  kind  and  respectful  treatment  of  his 
prisoners  made  a  very  strong  impression  upon 
the  minds  of  all  the  French  knights  and  nobles, 
and  they  were  warm  in  their  praises  of  the  mag- 


134  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Disposition  of  the  prisoners.  English  prisoners.  Douglas. 

nanimity  of  their  victorious  enemy.  He  treated 
these  knights  themselves,  too,  in  the  same  gen- 
erous manner.  He  liberated  a  large  number  of 
them  on  their  simple  promise  that  they  would 
send  him  the  sums  which  he  named  respective- 
ly for  their  ransoms. 

Although  Edward  was  thus,  on  the  whole, 
victorious  in  this  battle,  still  many  of  the  En- 
glish knights  were  killed,  and  quite  a  number 
were  taken  prisoners  and  carried  off  by  the 
French  to  be  held  for  ranson.  One  of  these 
prisoners,  a  Scotch  knight  named  Douglas,  made 
his  escape  after  his  capture  in  a  very  singular 
manner.  He  was  standing  in  his  armor  among 
his  captors  late  in  the  evening,  at  a  place  at 
some  distance  from  the  field,  where  the  French 
had  taken  him  and  some  other  prisoners  for 
safety,  and  the  French  were  about  to  take  off 
his  armor,  which,  from  its  magnificence,  led  them 
to  suppose  that  he  was  a  person  of  high  rank 
and  importance,  as  he  really  was,  and  that  a 
grand  ransom  could  be  obtained  for  him,  when 
another  Scotch  knight,  named  Ramsay,  sudden- 
ly fixing  his  eyes  upon  him,  pretended  to  be  in 
a  great  rage,  and,  advancing  toward  him,  ex- 
claimed, 

"  You  miserable  wretch !  How  comes  it  that 
you  dare  to  deck  yourself  out  in  this  way  in 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         135 

Douglas's  extraordinary  escape  from  his  captors. 

your  master's  armor  ?  You  have  murdered  and 
robbed  him,  I  suppose.  Come  here  and  pull  off 
my  boots." 

Douglas  understood  at  once  Ramsay's  design, 
and  so,  with  pretended  tremblings,  and  looks  of 
guilt  and  fear,  he  came  to  Ramsay  and  pulled 
off  one  of  his  boots.  Ramsay  took  up  the  boot 
and  struck  Douglas  upon  the  head  with  it.  The 
other  English  prisoners,  wondering,  asked  Ram- 
say what  he  meant. 

"  That  is  Lord  Douglas,"  said  they. 

"  Lord  Douglas  ?"  repeated  Ramsay,  in  a  tone 
of  contempt.  "  No  such  thing.  It  is  his  serv- 
ant. He  has  killed  his  master,  I  suppose,  and 
stolen  his  armor."  Then,  turning  to  Douglas 
and  brandishing  the  boot  over  him  again,  he 
cried  out, 

"  Off  with  you,  you  villain  !  Go  and  look 
over  the  field,  and  find  your  master's  body,  and 
when  you  have  found  it  come  back  and  tell 
me,  that  I  may  at  least  give  him  a  decent  bur- 
ial." 

So  saying,  he  took  out  forty  shillings,  and  gave 
the  money  to  the  Frenchmen  as  the  ransom  of 
the  pretended  servant,  and  then  drove  Douglas 
off,  beating  him  with  the  boot  and  saying, 

"  Away  with  you !     Begone !" 

Douglas  bore  this  all  very  patiently,  and  went 


136  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1356. 

Prince  Edward  conveys  the  King  of  France  to  London. 

away  with  the  air  of  a  detected  imp6stor,  and 
soon  got  back  safely  to  the  English  camp. 

After  the  battle  of  Poictiers  Prince  Edward 
moved  on  toward  the  westward  with  his  army, 
taking  with  him  his  royal  prisoners,  and  stop- 
ping at  all  the  large  towns  on  his  way  to  cele- 
brate his  victory  with  feastings  and  rejoicings. 
At  last  he  reached  Bordeaux  on  the  coast,  and 
from  Bordeaux,  in  due  time,  he  set  sail  with  his 
prisoners  for  London.  In  the  mean  time,  news 
of  the  victory,  and  of  the  coming  of  the  King 
•of  France  as  prisoner  to  England,  had  reached 
London,  and  great  preparations  were  made  there 
for  the  reception  of  the  prince.  The  prince  took 
&  fleet  of  ships  and  a  large  force  of  armed  men 
with  him  on  the  voyage,  being  afraid  that  the 
French  would  attempt  to  intercept  him  and  res- 
cue the  prisoners.  The  King  of  France  and  his 
suite  had  a  ship  to  themselves.  The  fleet  land- 
ed at  a  place  called  Sandwich,  on  the  southern 
coast  of  England,  and  then  the  cortege  of  the 
prince  proceeded  by  slow  journeys  to  London. 

The  party  was  received  at  the  capital  with 
great  pomp  and  parade.  Besides  the  caval- 
cades of  nobles,  knights,  and  barons  which  came 
out  to  meet  them,  all  the  different  trades  and 
companies  of  London  appeared  in  their  respect- 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         137 

Entrance  into  London.  Magnanimous  treatment  of  the  prisoner. 

ive  uniforms,  with  flags  and  banners,  and  with 
the  various  emblems  and  insignia  of  their  sev- 
eral crafts.  All  London  flocked  into  the  streets 
to  see  the  show. 

One  would  have  supposed,  however,  from  the 
arrangements  which  Prince  Edward  made  in 
entering  the  city,  that  the  person  whom  all  this 
pomp  and  parade  was  intended  to  honor  was 
not  himself,  but  the  king  his  captive ;  for,  instead 
of  riding  at  the  head  of  the  procession  in  tri- 
umph, with  the  King  of  France  and  his  son  fol- 
lowing as  captives  in  his  train,  he  gave  the  king 
the  place  of  honor,  while  he  himself  took  the 
station  of  one  of  his  attendants.  The  king  was 
mounted  on  a  white  charger  very  splendidly 
•caparisoned,  while  Prince  Edward  rode  a  small 
black  horse  by  his  side.  The  procession  moved 
in  this  way  through  the  principal  streets  of  the 
•city  to  a  palace  on  the  banks  of  the  river  at  the 
West  End,  which  had  been  fitted  up  in  the  most 
•complete  and  sumptuous  manner  for  the  king's 
reception.  Soon  after  this,  the  King  of  England, 
Prince  Edward's  father,  came  to  pay  his  captive 
cousin  a  visit,  and,  though  he  retained  him  as  a 
captive,  he  treated  him  in  other  respects  with 
•every  mark  of  consideration  and  honor. 

The  King  of  France  and  his  son  remained 
captives  in  England  for  some  time.  The  king 


138  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1360. 

The  war  ended.          The  king  ransomed.         Prince  Edward's  renown, 

and  the  queen  treated  them  with  great  consid- 
eration. They  often  visited  King  John  at  his 
palace,  and  they  invited  him  to  the  most  sump- 
tuous entertainments  and  celebrations  made  ex- 
pressly to  do  him  honor. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  war  between  England 
and  France  still  went  on.  Many  battles  were 
fought,  and  many  towns  and  castles  were  be- 
sieged and  taken.  But,  after  all,  no  great  prog- 
ress was  made  on  either  side,  and  at  lengthr 
when  both  parties  had  become  wearied  and  ex- 
hausted in  the  struggle,  a  peace  was  concludedr 
and  King  John,  having  paid  a  suitable  ransom 
for  himself  and  for  those  who  were  with  him, 
was  allowed  to  return  home.  He  had  been  in 
captivity  for  about  five  years. 

The  conduct  of  Prince  Edward  at  the  battles 
of  Crecy  and  of  Poictiers,  in  both  which  cori^ 
tests  the  English  fought  against  an  immense  su- 
periority of  numbers,  and  the  great  eclat  of  such 
an  achievement  as  capturing  the  French  king, 
and  conducting  him  a  prisoner  to  London,  join- 
ed to  the  noble  generosity  which  he  displayed 
in  his  treatment  of  his  prisoners,  made  his  name 
celebrated  throughout  the  world.  Every  body 
was'  sounding  the  praises  of  the  Black  Prince, 
the  heir  apparent  to  the  English  throne,  and 


BATTLE  OF  POICTIERS.         139 

Edward  the  heir  apparent  to  the  crown. 

anticipating  the  greatness  and  glory  to  which. 
England  would  attain  when  he  should  become 
king. 

This  was  an  event  which  might  occur  at  any 
time,  for  King  Edward  his  father  was  drawing 
gradually  into  the  later  years  of  life,  and  he 
himself  was  now  nearly  forty  years  of  age. 


140  KING  RICHARD  II. 


Prince  Edward  becomes  Prince  of  Aquitaine. 


CHAPTER  V. 
CHILDHOOD  OF  RICHARD. 

child  of  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  who 
afterward  became  Richard  the  Second,  king 
of  England,  was  born  at  Bordeaux,  in  the  south- 
western part  of  France,  in  the  year  1367,  in  the 
midst  of  a  scene  of  great  military  bustle  and  ex- 
citement. The  circumstances  were  these. 

When  peace  was  finally  made  between  En- 
gland and  France,  after  the  wars  described  in. 
the  last  chapter  were  over,  one  of  the  results  of 
the  treaty  which  was  made  was  that  certain, 
provinces  in  the  southwestern  part  of  France 
were  ceded  to  England,  and  formed  into  a  prin- 
cipality called  Aquitaine,  and  this  principality 
was  placed  under  the  dominion  of  the  Black 
Prince.  The  title  of  the  prince  was  thenceforth 
not  only  Prince  of  Wales,  but  also  Prince  of 
Aquitaine.  The  city  of  Bordeaux,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Garonne,  as  shown  by  the  map,*" 
was  the  chief  city  of  Aquitaine.  There  the 
prince  established  his  court,  and  reigned,  as  it 
were,  for  several  years  in  great  splendor.  The 

*  See  map  on  page  110. 


EICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.        141 

Various  calls  made  upon  him.  Don  Pedro. 

fame  which  he  had  acquired  attracted  to  his 
•court  a  great  number  of  knights  and  nobles 
from  all  lands,  and  whenever  a  great  personage 
had  any  wrongs,  real  or  imaginary,  to  be  re- 
dressed, or  any  political  end  to  gain  which  re- 
quired the  force  of  arms,  he  was  very  likely  to 
come  to  the  Prince  of  Aquitaine,  in  order,  if  pos- 
sible, to  secure  his  aid.  Prince  Edward  was 
rather  pleased  than  otherwise  with  these  appli- 
cations, for  he  loved  war  much  better  than  peace, 
-and,  though  he  evinced  a  great  deal  of  modera- 
tion and  generosity  in  his  conduct  in  the  treat- 
ment of  his  vanquished  enemies,  he  was  none 
the  less  really  excited  and  pleased  with  the  glory 
and  renown  which  his  victories  gained  him. 

About  six  months  before  Eichard  was  born, 
while  Edward  was  living  with  the  princess,  his 
wife,  in  Bordeaux,  he  received  an  application 
for  aid  from  a  certain  Don  Pedro,  who  claimed 
.to  be  King  of  Navarre  in  Spain,  but  who  had 
been  expelled  from  his  kingdom  by  his  brother. 
There  was  also  a  certain  James  who  claimed  to 
be  the  King  of  Majorca,  a  large  island  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  who  was  in  much  the  same 
situation  in  respect  to  his  kingdom.  Prince  Ed- 
ward promised  to  aid  Don  Pedro  in  recovering 
his  throne,  and  he  forthwith  began  to  make 
preparations  to  this  end.  He  also  promised 


142  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Edward's  plans  and  arrangement*.  Lord  D' Albret. 

James  that,  as  soon  as  he  had  accomplished  the 
work  which  he  had  undertaken  for  Don  Pedro, 
he  would  fit  out  an  expedition  to  Majorca,  and 
so  restore  him  too  to  his  kingdom. 

The  preparations  which  he  made  for  the  ex- 
pedition into  Spain  were  prosecuted  in  a  very 
vigorous  manner.  Don  Pedro  was  destitute 
of  means  as  well  as  of  men,  and  Edward  was 
obliged  to  raise  a  large  sum  of  money  for  the 
provisioning  and  paying  of  his  troops.  His 
vassals,  the  nobles  and  barons  of  his  principali- 
ty, were  obliged  to  furnish  the  men,  it  being 
the  custom  in  those  times  that  each  vassal  should 
bring  to  his  lord,  in  case  of  war,  as  many  sol- 
diers as  could  be  spared  from  among  his  own 
tenants  and  retainers — some  fifty,  some  one 
hundred,  and  some  two  hundred,  or  even  more, 
according  to  the  extent  and  populousness  of 
their  estates.  One  of  the  nobles  in  Prince  Ed- 
ward's service,  named  Lord  D' Albret,  had  offer- 
ed to  bring  a  thousand  men.  The  prince  had 
asked  him  on  some  public  occasion,  in  presence 
of  other  knights  and  noblemen,  how  many  men 
he  could  furnish  for  the  expedition. 

"  My  lord,"  replied  Lord  D' Albret,  "  if  you 
really  wish  for  all  the  strength  that  I  can  fur 
nish,  I  can  bring  you  a  thousand  lances,  and  still 
have  enough  at  home  to  guard  the  country." 


A.D.1366.]  EICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.  143 

Lord  D'Albret  offers  a  thousand  men. 

The  prince  was  surprised  at  this  answer.  He 
did  not  know,  it  seems,  how  powerful  the  barons, 
of  his  principality  were. 

"  By  my  head !"  said  he,  addressing  Lord 
D'Albret  and  speaking  in  French,  which  was, 
of  course,  the  language  of  Aquitaine,  "  that  will 
be  very  handsome." 

He  then  turned  to  some  English  nobles  who 
were  near,  and  speaking  in  English,  said  it  was 
worth  while  to  rule  in  a  country  where  one  bar- 
on could  attend  his  lord  with  a  thousand  lances. 
He  was  ashamed  not  to  accept  this  offer,  for, 
according  to  the  ideas  of  these  times,  it  would 
not  be  at  all  consistent  with  what  was  expected 
of  a  prince  that  he  should  not  be  able  to  main- 
tain and  pay  as  many  troops  as  his  barons  could 
bring  him.  So  he  said  hastily,  turning  to  D'Al- 
bret, that  he  engaged  them  all. 

Although,  in  the  end,  Don  Pedro,  if  he  suc- 
ceeded in  regaining  his  kingdom,  was  to  refund 
the  expenses  of  the  war,  yet,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, it  was  necessary  for  the  prince  to  raise 
the  money,  and  he  soon  found  that  it  would  be 
very  difficult  for  him  to  raise  enough.  He  was 
unwilling  to  tax  too  heavily  the  subjects  of  his 
principality,  and  so,  after  collecting  as  much  as 
he  thought  prudent  in  that  way,  he  sent  to  En- 
gland to  his  father,  explaining  the  nature  and 


144  KING  EICHARD  II.  [AD.  1366. 

King  Edward  offers  his  aid.  John  of  Gaunt. 

design  of  the  proposed  expedition,  and  soliciting 
his  father's  approval  of  it,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
asking  for  aid  in  the  way  of  funds.  King  Ed- 
ward replied,  cordially  approving  of  the  enter- 
prise. He  also  promised  to  send  on  the  prince's 
brother  John,  with  a  body  of  troops  to  accom- 
pany the  expedition.  This  John  was  the  one- 
who  has  already  been  mentioned  as  born  in 
Ghent,  and  who  was  called,  on  that  account, 
John  of  Gaunt.  He  was  also  Duke  of  Lancas- 
ter, and  is  often  designated  by  that  name.  Ed- 
ward was  very  much  attached  to  his  brother 
John,  and  was  very  much  pleased  to  hear  that 
he  was  coming  to  join  him. 

The  King  of  England  also,  Edward's  fatherr 
made  arrangements  for  sending  to  his  son  a 
large  sum  of  money.  This  was  of  great  assist- 
ance to  him,  but  still  he  had  not  money  enough. 
So  he  broke  up  his  plate,  both  gold  and  silver, 
and  caused  it  to  be  coined,  in  order  to  assist  in 
filling  his  treasury.  Still,  notwithstanding  all 
that  he  could  do,  he  found  it  difficult  to  provide 
sufficient  funds  for  the  purchase  of  the  provis- 
ions that  he  required,  and  for  the  pay  of  the  men. 

It  was  rather  late  in  the  season  when  the 
prince  first  formed  the  plan  of  this  expedition. 
He  was  very  anxious  to  set  out  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, for  he  had  the  Pyrenees  to  cross,  in  order 


EICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.        145 

Why  the  princess  wishes  to  have  Edward's  departure  postponed. 


to  pass  from  France  into  Spain,  and  it  would  be 
impossible,  he  knew,  to  conduct  an  army  over 
the  mountains  after  the  winter  should  set  in ; 
so  he  hastened  his  preparations  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. He  was  kept  in  a  continued  fever  by  his 
impatience,  and  by  the  various  delays  and  dis- 
appointments which  were  constantly  occurring. 
In  the  mean  while,  time  moved  on,  and  it  began 
at  length  to  be  doubtful  whether  he  should  be 
ready  to  march  before  the  winter  should  set  in. 

To  add  to  his  perplexity,  his  wife  begged  him 
to  postpone  his  departure  till  the  spring,  in  or- 
der that  he  might  remain  at  home  with  her  un- 
til after  their  child  should  be  born.  She  was 
dejected  in  spirits,  and  seemed  particularly  sad 
and  sorrowful  at  the  thought  of  her  husband's 
going  away  to  leave  her  at  such  a  time.  She 
knew,  too,  the  undaunted  recklessness  with 
which  he  was  accustomed  to  expose  himself  to 
danger  in  his  campaigns,  and  if  he  went  away 
she  could  not  but  think  that  it  was  uncertain 
whether  he  would  ever 'return. 

Finally,  the  prince  concluded  to  put  off  his 
departure  until  spring.  This  determination, 
however,  in  some  sense  increased  his  perplexi- 
ties, for  now  he  had  a  large  proportion  of  his 
force  to  maintain  and  pay  through  the  winter. 
This  made  it  necessary  that  he  should  curtail 

8—10 


146  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Prince  Edward's  letter  to  Lord  D'Albret. 

his  plans  in  some  degree,  and,  among  other 
things,  he  resolved  to  notify  the  Baron  D'Albret 
not  to  bring  his  whole  complement  of  one  thou- 
sand men.  It  was  a  great  humiliation  to  him 
to  do  this  after  having  formally  agreed  to  en- 
gage the  men,  but  he  felt  compelled,  by  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  case,  to  do  so,  and  he  accordingly 
wrote  to  the  baron  the  following  letter :' 

"My  LORD  D'ALBRET, 

"  Whereas,  out  of  our  liberal  bounty,  we  have 
retained  you,  with  a  thousand  lances,  to  serve 
under  us  in  the  expedition  which,  through  the 
grace  of  God,  we  intend  speedily  to  undertake 
and  briefly  to  finish,  having  duly  considered 
the  business,  and  the  costs  and  expenses  we  are 
at,  we  have  resolved  that  several  of  our  vassals 
should  remain  at  home  in  order  to  guard  the 
territories.  For  these  causes,  it  has  been  de- 
termined in  our  council  that  you  shall  serve  in 
this  expedition  with  two  hundred  lances  only. 
You  will  choose  the  two  hundred  out  from  the 
rest,  and  the  remainder  you  will  leave  at  home 
to  follow  their  usual  occupations. 

"  May  God  have  you  under  his  ho'y  protec- 
tion. 

"Given  at  Bordeaux,  the  eighth  day  of  December. 

"  EDWARD." 


A.D.1366.]  RICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.  147 

Lord  D'Albret  is  very  angry.  His  determination. 

This  letter  was  sealed  with  the  great  seal  of 
the  prince,  and  sent  to  D'Albret,  who  was  in  his 
own  country,  busily  engaged  in  assembling  and 
equipping  his  men,  and  making  the  other  nec- 
essary preparations.  The  baron  was  exceed- 
ingly indignant  when  he  received  the  letter. 
In  those  days,  every  man  that  was  capable  of 
bearing  arms  liked  much  better  to  be  taken  into 
the  service  of  some  prince  or  potentate  going  to 
war  than  to  remain  at  home  to  cultivate  the 
ground  in  quiet  industry.  D'Albret  knew,  there- 
fore, very  well,  that  his  vassals  and  retainers 
would  be  all  greatly  disappointed  to  learn  that 
four  fifths  of  their  whole  number  were,  after  all, 
to  remain  at  home,  and  then,  besides  this,  his 
own  importance  in  the  campaign  would  be  great- 
ly diminished  by  reducing  the  force  under  his 
command  from  one  thousand  to  two  hundred 
men.  He  was  extremely  angry  when  he  read 
the  letter. 

"How  is  this?"  he  exclaimed.  "My  lord 
the  Prince  of  Wales  trifles  with  me  when  he 
orders  me  to  disband  eight  hundred  knights 
and  squires  whom,  by  his  command,  I  have  re- 
tained, and  have  diverted  from  other  means  of 
obtaining  profit  and  honor."  Then  he  called 
for  a  secretary,  and  said  to  him  in  a  rage, 

"Write  what  I  shall  dictate  to  you." 


148  KING  EICHARD   II.  [A.D.1366. 

Lord  U'Albret's  letter  to  the  prince. 


The  secretary  wrote  as  follows  from  his  mas. 
ter's  dictation: 

"My  DEAR  LORD, 

"  I  am  marvelously  surprised  at  the  contents 
of  the  letter  which  you  have  sent  me.  I  do  not 
know  and  can  not  imagine  what  answer  I  can 
make.  Your  present  orders  will  do  me  a  great 
injury,  and  subject  me  to  much  blame.  For 
all  the  men-at-arms  whom  I  have  retained  by 
your  command  have  already  made  their  prep- 
arations for  entering  your  service,  and  were 
only  waiting  your  orders  to  march.  By  retain- 
ing them  for  your  service  I  have  prevented  them 
from  seeking  honor  and  profit  elsewhere.  Some 
of  the  knights  had  actually  made  engagements 
to  go  beyond  sea,  to  Jerusalem,  to  Constantino- 
ple, or  to  Russia,  in  order  to  advance  themselves, 
and  now,  having  relinquished  these  advanta- 
geous prospects  in  order  to  join  your  enterprise, 
they  will  be  extremely  displeased  if  they  are 
left  behind.  I  am  myself  equally  displeased, 
and  I  can  not  conceive  what  I  have  done  to  de- 
serve such  treatment.  And  I  beg  you  to  un- 
derstand, my  lord,  that  I  can  not  be  separated 
from  my  men ;  nor  will  they  consent  to  be 
separated  from  each  other.  I  am  convinced 
that,  if  I  dismiss  any  of  them,  they  will  all  go." 


A.D.1366.]  EICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.  149 

Inward  in  want  of  money.  Don  Pedro  pledges  his  three  daughters. 

The  baron  added  other  words  of  the  same 
tenor,  and  then,  signing  and  sealing  the  letter, 
sent  it  to  the  prince.  The  prince  was  angry  in 
his  turn  when  he  received  this  letter. 

"  By  my  faith,"  said  he,  "  this  man  D'Albret 
is  altogether  too  great  a  man  for  my  country, 
when  he  seeks  thus  to  disobey  an  order  from 
my  council.  But  let  him  go  where  he  pleases. 
We  will  perform  this  expedition,  if  it  please 
God,  without  any  of  his  thousand  lances." 

This  case  presents  a  specimen  of  the  perplex- 
ities and  troubles  in  which  the  prince  was  in- 
volved during  the  winter,  while  organizing  his 
expedition  and  preparing  to  set  out  in  the 
spring.  The  want  of  money  was  the  great  dif- 
ficulty, for  there  was  no  lack  of  men.  Don  Pe- 
dro agreed,  it  is  true,  that  when  he  recovered 
his  kingdom  he  would  pay  back  the  advances 
which  Edward  had  to  make,  but  he  was  so  un- 
principled a  man  that  Edward  knew  very  well 
that  he  could  not  trust  to  his  promises  unless 
he  gave  some  security.  So  Don  Pedro  agreed 
to  leave  his  three  daughters  in  Edward's  hands 
as  hostages  to  secure  the  payment  of  the  money. 

The  names  of  the  three  princesses  thus 
pledged  as  collateral  security  for  money  bor- 
rowed were  Beatrice,  Constance,  and  Isabel. 

At  length,  on  the  third  day  of  April,  the  child 


150  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D..1367. 

The  baptism  of  the  yonng  Prince  Richard. 

was  born.  The  princess  was  in  a  monastery  at 
the  time,  called  the  monastery  of  St.  Andrew, 
whither  she  had  retired  for  privacy  and  quiet. 
Immediately  after  the  event,  Prince  Edward, 
having  made  every  thing  ready  before,  gave  or- 
ders that  the  expedition  should  set  forward  on 
the  road  to  Spain.  He  himself  was  to  follow 
as  soon  as  the  baptism  of  the  child  should  be 
performed.  The  day  on  which  the  child  was 
born  was  Wednesday,  and  Friday  was  fixed  for 
the  baptism.  The  baptism  took  place  at  noon, 
at  a  stone  font  in  the  church  of  the  monastery. 
The  King  of  Majorca,  whom  the  prince  had 
promised  to  restore  to  his  kingdom,  was  one  of 
the  godfathers.  The  child  was  named  Richard. 

On  the  Sunday  following  the  prince  bade  his 
wife  and  the  little  infant  farewell,  and  set  out 
from  Bordeaux  with  great  pomp,  at  the  head 
of  an  immense  cavalcade,  and  went  on  to  join 
the  expedition  which  was  already  on  its  way  to 
Spain. 

The  birth  of  Richard  was  an  event  of  great 
importance,  for  he  was  not  only  the  son  of  the 
Prince  of  Aquitaine,  but  he  was  the  grandson 
of  the  King  of  England,  and,  of  course,  every 
one  knew  that  he  might  one  day  be  the  King  of 
England  himself.  Still,  the  probability  was  not 
very  great  that  this  would  happen,  at  least  for 


A.D.1367.]  RICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.  153 

Richard  receives  a  visit  from  his  uncle  John. 

a  long  period  to  come ;  for,  though  his  father, 
Prince  Edward,  was  the  oldest  son  of  the  King 
of  England,  he  himself  was  not  the  oldest  son 
of  his  father.  He  had  a  brother  who  was  some 
years  older  than  himself,  and,  of  course,  there 
were  three  lives  that  must  be  terminated  before 
his  turn  should  come  to  reign  in  England — his 
grandfather's,  his  father's,  and  his  brother's. 

It  happened  that  all  these  three  lives  were 
terminated  'in  a  comparatively  brief  period,  so 
that  Richard  really  became  King  of  England 
before  he  grew  up  to  be  a  man. 

The  first  important  occurrence  which  took 
place  at  the  monastery  at  Bordeaux,  where  lit- 
tle Richard  remained  with  his  mother  after  his 
father  had  gone,  was  the  arrival  of  his  uncle 
John,  that  is,  John  of  Gaunt,  the  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster, who  was  on  his  way  from  England  at 
the  head  of  an  army  to  accompany  his  brother 
into  Spain.  John  stopped  at  Bordeaux  to  see 
the  princess  and  the  infant  child.  He  was  very 
joyfully  received  by  the  princess,  and  by  all 
the  ladies  in  attendance  upon  her.  The  prin- 
cess was  very  fond  of  her  brother,  and  she  was 
much  pleased  that  he  was  going  to  join  her 
husband  in  the  war  in  Spain ;  besides,  he  brought 
her  late  and  full  news  from  England.  The  duke, 
however,  did  not  remain  long  at  Bordeaux,  but, 


154  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Richard  at  Bordeaux.  Don  Pedro's  troubles  and  perplexitiea. 

after  a  brief  visit  to  his  sister,  .He  put  himself 
again  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  and  hurried  for- 
ward to  overtake  the  prince,  who  was  already, 
far  on  his  way  toward  the  Pyrenees  and  Spain. 
Little  Eichard  remained  in  Bordeaux  for 
three  or  four  years.  During  this  time  he  had 
his  brother  for  a  playmate,  but  he  saw  little  of 
his  father.  It  was  some  time  before  his  father 
returned  from  Spain,  and  when  he  did  return 
he  came  home  much  depressed  in  spirits,  and 
harassed  and  vexed  with  many  cares.  He  had 
succeeded,  it  is  true,  in  conquering  Don  Pedro's 
enemies,  and  in  placing  Don  Pedro  himself 
again  upon  the  throne ;  but  he  had  failed  in 
getting  back  the  money  that  he  had  expended. 
Don  Pedro  could  not  or  would  not  repay  him. 
What  Prince  Edward  did  with  the  three  daugh- 
ters of  the  king  that  had  been  left  with  him  as 
hostages  I  do  not  know.  At  any  rate,  he  could 
not  pay  his  debts  with  them,  or  raise  money  by 
means  of  them  to  silence  his  clamorous  troops. 
He  attempted  to  lay  fresh  taxes  upon  the  peo- 
ple of  Aquitaine.  This  awakened  a  great  deal 
of  discontent.  The  barons  who  had  had  disa- 
greements of  any  sort  with  Edward  before,  took 
advantage  of  this  discontent  to  form  plots  agai  nst 
him,  and  at  last  several  of  them,  D' Albret  among 
the  rest,  whom  he  had  mortally  offended  by 


KICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.        155 

King  Charles  determines  to  call  Prince  Edward  to  account. 

countermanding  his  orders  for  the  thousand 
men,  combined  together  and  sent  to  the  King 
of  France,  complaining  of  the  oppressions  which 
they  suffered  under  Edward's  rule,  and  inviting 
him  to  come  and  help  them  free  themselves. 
The  king  at  once  determined  that  he  would  do 
this. 

This  King  of  France  was,  however,  not  King 
John,  whom  Edward  had  made  prisoner  and 
sent  to  London.  King  John  had  died,  and  the 
crown  had  descended  to  his  successor,  Charles 
the  Fifth. 

King  Charles  determined  first  to  send  two 
commissioners  to  summon  the  Prince  of  Aqui- 
taine  into  his  presence  to  give  an  account  of 
himself.  He  did  this  under  the  pretext  that 
Aquitaine  was  part  of  France,  and  that,  conse- 
quently, Prince  Edward  was  in  some  sense  un- 
der his  jurisdiction. 

The  two  commissioners,  with  their  attendants, 
left  Paris,  and  set  out  on  their  journey  to  Bor- 
deaux. People  traveled  very  slowly  in  those 
days,  and  the  commissioners  were  a  long  time 
on  the  way.  At  length,  however,  they  reached 
Bordeaux.  They  arrived  late  in  the  evening, 
and  took  up  their  quarters  at  an  inn.  The  next 
day  they  repaired  to  the  monastery  where  the 
prince  was  residing. 


156  KING  EICHARD  II. 

The  commissioners  arrive,  and  are  received  by  the  prince. 

They  informed  the  attendants  who  received 
them  at  the  monastery  that  they  had  been  sent 
by  the  King  of  France  with  a  message  to  the 
prince.  The  attendants,  who  were  officers  of 
the  prince's  court,  informed  the  prince  of  the 
arrival  of  the  strangers,  and  he  ordered  them  to 
be  brought  into  his  presence. 

The  commissioners,  on  being  brought  before 
the  prince,  bowed  very  low  in  token  of  rever- 
ence, and  presented  their  credentials.  The 
prince,  after  reading  the  credentials,  and  exam- 
ining the  seals  of  the  King  of  France  by  which 
they  were  authenticated,  said  to  the  commis- 
sioners, 

"It  is  very  well.  These  papers  show  that 
you  are  duly  commissioned  embassadors  from 
the  King  of  France.  You  are  welcome  to  our 
court.  And  you  can  now  proceed  to  commu- 
nicate the  message  with  which  you  have  been 
charged." 

Of  the  two  commissioners,  one  was  a  lawyer, 
and  the  other  a  knight.  The  knight  bore  the 
singular  name  of  Caponnel  de  Caponnal.  The 
lawyer,  of  course,  was  the  principal  speaker  at 
the  interview  with  the  prince,  and  when  the 
prince  called  for  the  communication  which  had 
been  sent  from  the  King  of  France,  he  drew 
forth  a  paper  which  he  said  contained  what  the 


RICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.        157 

The  lawyer  reads  the  letter. 

King  of  France  had  to  say,  and  which,  he  added, 
they,  the  commissioners,  had  promised  faithful- 
ly to  read  in  the  prince's  presence. 

The  prince,  wondering  greatly  what  the  pa- 
per could  contain,  ordered  the  lawyer  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  reading  of  it. 

The  lawyer  read  as  follows : 

"Charles,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of 
France,  to  our  nephew  the  Prince  of  Wales  and 
Aquitaine,  health. 

"Whereas  several  prelates,  barons,  knights, 
universities,  fraternities,  and  colleges  of  the  coun- 
try and  district  of  Grascony,  residing  and  inhab- 
iting upon  the  borders  of  our  realm,  together 
with  many  others  from  the  country  and  duchy 
of  Aquitaine,  have  come  before  us  in  our  court 
to  claim  justice  for  certain  grievances  and  un- 
jnst  oppressions  which  you,  through  weak  coun- 
sel and  foolish  advice,  have  been  induced  to  do 
them,  and  at  which  we  are  much  astonished ; 

"  Therefore,  in  order  to  obviate  and  remedy 
such  things,  we  do  take  cognizance  of  their 
cause,  insomuch  that  we,  of  our  royal  majesty 
and  sovereignty,  order  and  command  you  to  ap- 
pear in  our  city  of  Paris  in  person,  and  that  you 
show  and  present  yourself  before  us  in  our 
chamber  of  Paris,  to  hear  judgment  pronounced 


158  KING  KICHARD  II.  [A.D.1369. 

The  prince  is  very  much  displeased. 

upon  the  aforesaid  complaints  and  grievances 
done  by  you  to  our  subjects,  who  claim  to  be 
heard,  and  to  have  the  jurisdiction  of  our  court. 

"  Let  there  be  no  delay  in  obeying  this  sum- 
mons,'but  set  out  as  speedily  as  possible  after 
having  heard  this  order  read. 

"  In  witness  whereof  we  have  affixed  our  seal 
to  these  presents. 

"Given  at  Paris  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  January,  1369. 

"CHARLES  K." 


On  hearing  this  letter  read,  the  prince  was 
filled  with  astonishment  and  indignation.  He 
paused  a  moment,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
commissioners,  as  if  not  knowing  what  to  reply. 
At  length,  with  an  expression  of  bitter  irony 
upon  his  countenance,  he  said, 

"  We  shall  willingly  appear  at  the  appointed 
day  at  Paris,  since  the  King  of  France  sends  for 
us,  but  it  will  be  with  our  helmet  on  our  head, 
and  accompanied  by  sixty  thousand  men." 

The  commissioners,  seeing  how  much  the 
prince  was  displeased,  began  immediately  to  en- 
treat him  not  to  be  angry  with  them  as  the 
bearers  of  the  message. 

"Oh  no,"  said  the  prince,  "I  am  not  in  the 
least  angry  with  you,  but  only  with  those  that 
Bent  you  hither.  Your  master,  the  King  of 


A.D.1369.]  RICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.  159 


He  dismisses  the  commissioners. 


France,  has  been  exceedingly  ill  advised  in  thus 
pretending  to  claim  jurisdiction  over  our  do- 
minion of  Aquitaine,  and  in  taking  the  part  of 
our  discontented  subjects  against  us,  their  right- 
ful sovereign.  When  he  surrendered  the  prov- 
inces to  the  King  of  England,  my  father,  as  he 
did  by  solemn  treaty,  he  relinquished  forever 
all  jurisdiction  over  them,  and  in  the  exercise 
of  my  government  I  acknowledge  no  superior 
except  my  father.  Tell  the  King  of  France 
that  is  what  I  claim  and  will  maintain.  It  shall 
cost  a  hundred  thousand  lives  before  it  shall 
be  otherwise." 

Having  spoken  these  words  in  a  calm  and 
quiet,  but  very  resolute  and  determined  tone, 
the  prince  walked  off  out  of  the  apartment,  leav- 
ing the  commissioners  in  a  great  state  of  aston- 
ishment and  alarm.  They  seemed  to  know  not 
what  to  do. 

Some  of  the  courtiers  came  to  them  and  ad- 
vised them  to  withdraw.  "It  is  useless,"  said 
they,  "  for  you  to  attempt  any  thing  more.  You 
have  delivered  your  message  faithfully,  and  the 
prince  has  given  his  answer.  It  is  the  only 
answer  that  he  will  give,  you  may  depend,  and 
you  may  as  well  return  with  it  to  the  king." 

So  the  messengers  went  back'to  the  inn,  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  same  day  they  set  out  on 


160  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Indignation  of  the  prince.  He  wishes  to  arrest  the  commissioners. 

their  return  to  Paris.  In  the  mean  time,  Prince 
Edward  continued  to  feel  extremely  indignant 
at  the  message  which  he  had  received.  The 
more  he  reflected  upon  it,  indeed,  the  more  an- 
gry he  became.  He  felt  as  if  he  had  been  in- 
sulted in  having  had  such  a  summons  from  a 
foreign  potentate  served  upon  him  by  a  lawyer 
in  his  own  house.  The  knights  and  barons 
around  him,  sharing  his  anger,  proposed  that 
they  should  pursue  and  seize  the  commission- 
ers, with  a  view  of  punishing  them  for  their  au- 
dacity in  bringing  such  a  message.  At  first  the 
prince  was  unwilling  to  consent  to  this,  as  the 
persons  of  embassadors  and  messengers  of  all 
sorts  sent  from  one  sovereign  to  another  were, 
in  those  days  as  now,  considered  sacred.  At 
last,  however,  he  said  that  he  thought  the  men 
were  hardly  to  be  considered  as  the  messengers 
of  the  King  of  France. 

"They  are  virtually,"  said  he,  "the  messen- 
gers of  D' Albret  and  the  other  factious  and  re- 
bellious barons  among  our  own  subjects,  who 
complained  to  the  King  of  France  and  incited 
him  to  interfere  in  our  affairs,  and,  as  such,  I 
should  not  be  sorry  to  have  them  taken  and 
punished." 

This  was  sufficient.  The  knights  who  heard 
it  immediately  sent  off  a  small  troop  of  horse- 


EICHARD'S   CHILDHOOD.         161 

The  commissioners  seized  and  imprisoned. 

men,  who  overtook  the  commissioners  before 
they  reached  the  frontier.  In  order  not  to  com- 
promise the  prince,  they  said  nothing  about  hav- 
ing been  sent  by  him,  but  arrested  the  men  on 
a  charge  of  having  taken  a  horse  which  did  not 
belong  to  them  from  the  inn.  Under  pretense 
of  investigating  this  charge,  they  took  the  men 
to  a  neighboring  town  and  shut  them  up  in  a 
castle  there. 

Some  of  the  attendants  of  the  commissioners, 
who  had  come  with  them  from  France,  made 
their  escape,  and,  returning  to  Paris,  they  re- 
ported to  the  King  of  France  all  that  had  oc- 
curred. It  now  came  his  turn  to  be  angry,  and 
both  parties  began  to  prepare  for  war. 

The  King  of  England  took  sides  with  his  son, 
and  so  was  drawn  at  once  into  the  quarrel.  Va- 
rious military  expeditions  were  fitted  out  on 
both  sides.  Provinces  were  ravaged,  and  towns 
and  castles  were  stormed.  The  Prince  of  Wales 
was  overwhelmed  with  the  troubles  and  per- 
plexities which  surrounded  him.  His  people 
were  discontented,  his  finances  were  low,  and 
the  fortune  of  war  often  turned  against  him. 
His  health,  too,  began  to  fail  him,  and  he  sank 
into  a  state  of  great  dejection  and  despondency. 
To  complete  the  sum  of  his  misfortunes,  his 
oldest  son,  Eichard's  brother,  fell  sick  and  died. 
8—11 


162  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Death  of  Richard's  brother.       The  prince  determines  to  go  to  England. 

This  was  a  fortunate  event  for  Richard,  for  it 
advanced  him  to  the  position  of  the  oldest  sur- 
viving son,  and  made  him  thus  his  father's  heir. 
It  brought  him,  too,  one  step  nearer  to  the  En- 
glish throne.  Richard  was,  however,  at  this 
time  only  four  years  old,  and  thus  was  too  young 
to  understand  these  things,  and  probably,  sym- 
pathizing with  his  father  and  mother,  he  mourn- 
ed his  brother's  death.  The  parents,  at  any 
rate,  were  exceedingly  grieved  at  the  loss  of 
their  first-born  child,  and  the  despondency  of 
the  prince  was  greatly  increased  by  the  event. 

At  last  the  physicians  and  counselors  of  Ed- 
ward advised  that  he  should  leave  his  princi- 
pality for  a  time  and  repair  to  England.  They 
hoped  that  by  the  change  of  scene  and  air  he 
might  recover  his  spirits,  and  perhaps  regain 
his  health.  The  prince  resolved  on  following 
this  advice.  So  he  made  arrangements  for  leav- 
ing his  principality  under  the  government  and 
care  of  his  brother,  John  of  Gaunt,  and  then  or- 
dered a  vessel  to  be  made  ready  at  Bordeaux 
to  convey  himself,  the  princess,  and  Richard  to 
England. 

When  every  thing  was  ready  for  his  depart- 
ure, he  convened  an  assembly  of  all  the  barons 
and  knights  of  his  dominions  in  a  hall  of  audi- 
ence at  Bordeaux,  and  there  solemnly  commit- 


A.D.1370.]  KICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.  163 

Prince  Edward's  farewell  speech.  He  sails  for  Kngland. 

ted  the  charge  of  the  principality  to  his  brother 
John  in  the  presence  of  them  all. 

He  said  in  the  speech  that  he  made  to  them 
on  that  occasion,  that  during  all  the  time  that 
he  had  been  their  prince,  he  had  always  main' 
tained  them  in  peace,  prosperity,  and  power,  so 
far  as  depended  on  him,  against  all  their  ene- 
mies, and  that  now,  in  the  hope  of  recovering 
his  health,  which  was  greatly  impaired,  he  in- 
tended to  return  to  England.  He  therefore 
earnestly  besought  them  to  place  confidence  in, 
and  faithfully  serve  and  obey,  his  brother,  the 
Duke  of  Lancaster,  as  they  had  hitherto  served 
and  obeyed  him. 

The  barons  all  solemnly  promised  to  obey 
these  injunctions,  and  they  took  the  oath  of 
fealty  and  homage  to  the  duke.  They  then  bid 
the  prince  farewell,  and  he  soon  afterward  em- 
barked on  board  the  ship  with  his  wife  and  son^ 
and  set  sail  for  England. 

The  fleet  which  accompanied  the  prince  on 
the  voyage,  as  convoy  to  the  prince's  ship,  con- 
tained five  hundred  men-at-arms,  and  a  large 
body  of  archers  besides.  This  force  was  intend- 
ed to  guard  against  the  danger  of  being  inter- 
cepted by  the  French  on  the  way.  The  prince 
and  the  princess  must,  of  course,  have  felt  some 
solicitude  on  this  account,  but  Richard,  being 


164  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1370. 

Pleasant  and  prosperous  voyage.  Little  Richard  at  sea. 

yet  only  four  years  old,  was  too  young  to  con- 
cern himself  with  any  such  fears.  So  he  play- 
ed about  the  ship  during  the  voyage,  untroubled 
by  the  anxieties  and  cares  which  weighed  upon 
the  spirits  of  his  father  and  mother. 

The  voyage  was  a  very  prosperous  one.  The 
weather  was  pleasant  and  the  wind  was  fair,  and 
after  a  few  days'  sail  the  fleet  arrived  safely  at 
Southampton.  The  king,  with  his  family  and 
suite,  disembarked.  They  remained  two  days 
at  Southampton  to  refresh  themselves  after  the 
voyage,  and  to  irtlow  the  prince,  who  seemed  to 
be  growing  worse  rather  than  better,  a  little 
time  to  gather  strength  for  the  journey  to  Lon- 
don. When  the  time  arrived  for  setting  out, 
he  was  found  too  ill  to  travel  by  any  of  the  or- 
dinary modes,  and  so  they  placed  him  upon  a 
litter,  and  in  this  way  the  party  set  out  for 
Windsor  Castle. 

The  party  traveled  by  easy  stages,  and  at 
length  arrived  at  the  castle.  Here  Richard  for 
the  first  time  saw  his  grandfather,  Edward  the 
Third,  King  of  England.  They  were  all  very 
kindly  received  by  him.  After  remaining  a 
short  time  at  Windsor  Castle,  the  prince,  with 
his  wife  and  Richard,  and  the  knights,  and  bar- 
ons, and  other  attendants  who  had  come  with 
him  from  Aquitaine,  proceeded  to  a  place  call- 


A.D.1370.]  RICHARD'S  CHILDHOOD.  165 


Portrait  of  Edward  III.  Kichard's  first  entrance  into  England. 


PORTRAIT  OP   EDWARD   TUB   THIRD,  RICHARD'S   GBANPFATI1EE. 


ed  Birkhamstead,  about  twenty  miles  from  Lon- 
don, and  there  took  up  his  abode. 

And  thus  it  was  that  Richard  for  the  first 
time  entered  the  country  which  had  been  the 
land  of  his  ancestors  for  so  long  a  time,  and 
over  which  he  was  himself  so  soon  to  reign. 


166  KING  KICHARD  II.  [A.D.1376. 

John  of  Gaunt  His  thought*  in  respect  to  the  kingdom. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRONE. 

YOUNG  Richard  lived  in  comparative  re- 
tirement with  his  mother  for  about  six 
years  after  his  return  to  England.  His  father's 
sickness  continued.  Indeed,  the  prince  was  so 
feeble  in  body,  and  so  dejected  and  desponding 
in  mind,  that  he  was  well-nigh  incapable  of 
taking  any  part  in  public  affairs.  His  brother, 
John  of  Gaunt,  Duke  of  Lancaster,  remained  for 
some  time  in  Aquitaine,  and  was  engaged  in 
continual  wars  with  France,  but  at  length  he 
too  returned  to  England.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  energy  of  character  and  of  great  ambition, 
and  he  began  to  revolve  the  question  in  his 
mind  whether,  in  case  his  brother,  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  should  die,  the  inheritance  of  the 
kingdom  of  England  should  fall  to  him,  or  to 
Richard,  the  son  of  his  brother. 

"  My  brother  Edward  is  older  than  I,"  he 
said  to  himself,  "  and  if  he  should  live  till  after 
our  father  the  king  dies,  then  I  grant  that  he 
should  succeed  to  the  throne.  But  if  he  dies 
before  the  king,  then  it  is  better  that  I  should 


ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRONE.   167 

Laws  of  succession.  Prince  Edward  grows  worse.  He  dies. 

succeed  to  the  throne,  for  his  son  Richard  is  but 
a  child,  and  is  wholly  unfit  to  reign.  Besides, 
if  the  oldest  son  of  a  king  is  dead,  it  is  more 
reasonable  that  the  next  oldest  should  succeed 
him,  rather  than  that  the  crown  should  go  down 
to  the  children  of  the  one  who  has  died." 

The  laws  of  succession  were  not  absolutely 
settled  in  those  days,  so  that,  in  doubtful  cases, 
it  was  not  uncommon  for  the  king  himself,  or 
the  Parliament,  or  the  king  and  Parliament  to- 
gether, to  select  from  among  different  claim- 
ants, during  the  life-time  of  the  king,  the  one 
whom  they  wished  to  succeed  to  the  crown. 

All  were  agreed,  however,  in  this  case — the 
king,  the  Parliament,  and  the  people  of  the 
country — that  if  Edward  should  survive  his  fa- 
ther, he  was  the  rightful  heir.  He  was  a  uni- 
versal favorite,  and  people  had  been  long  antic- 
ipating a  period  of  great  prosperity  and  glory 
for  the  kingdom  of  England  when  he  should  be 
king. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  his  health  grew 
worse  and  worse,  and  at  length,  in  1376,  he  died. 
His  death  produced  a  great  sensation.  Provis- 
ion was  made  for  a  very  magnificent  funeral. 
The  prince  died  at  Westminster,  which  was  then 
a  mile  or  two  west  from  London,  though  now 
London  has  become  so  extended  that  Westmin- 


168  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Grand  burial  of  the  prince  at  Canterbury. 

ster  forms  the  west  end  of  the  town.  It  was 
determined  to  bury  the  prince  in  the  Cathedral 
at  Canterbury.  Canterbury  is  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  England,  and  was  then,  as  now, 
the  residence  of  the  archbishop,  and  the  relig- 
ious metropolis,  so  to  speak,  of  the  kingdom. 
When  the  day  of  the  funeral  arrived,  an  im- 
mense cavalcade  and  procession  was  formed 
at  Westminster.  All  the  nobles  of  the  court 
and  the  members  of  Parliament  joined  in  the 
train  as  mourners,  and  followed  the  body 
through  the  city.  The  body  was  placed  on  a 
magnificent  hearse,  which  was  drawn  by  twelve 
horses.  Immense  throngs  of  people  crowded 
the  streets  and  the  windows  to  see  the  proces- 
sion go  by.  After  passing  through  the  city, 
the  hearse,  attended  by  the  proper  escort,  took 
the  road  to  Canterbury,  and  there  the  body  of 
the  prince  was  interred.  A  monument  was 
erected  over  the  tomb,  upon  which  was  placed 
an  effigy  of  the  prince,  dressed  in  the  armor  in 
which  the  illustrious  wearer  had  gained  so  many 
victories  and  acquired  such  lasting  renown. 

The  King  of  France,  although  the  prince  had 
been  one  of  his  most  implacable  enemies  all  his 
life,  and  had  been  engaged  in  incessant  wars 
against  him,  caused  funeral  solemnities  to  be 
celebrated  in  Paris  on  the  occasion  of  his  death. 


ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRONE.   169 


•3 


170  KIN<*  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1376. 

Richard  is  declared  heir  to  the  crown. 

The  ceremonies  were  performed  with  great 
magnificence  in  the  chapel  of  the  royal  palace, 
and  all  the  barons,  knights,  and  nobles  of  the 
court  attended  in  grand  costume,  and  joined  in 
rendering  honor  to  the  memory  of  their  depart- 
ed foe. 

It  was  about  midsummer  when  Eichard's  fa- 
ther died.  Richard's  uncle,  John  of  Gaunt, 
Duke  of  Lancaster,  was  in  London,  and  he  had 
a  large  party  in  his  favor,  though  generally  he 
was  very  unpopular  in  England.  He  had  not 
yet  openly  claimed  the  right  to  inherit  the 
crown,  nor  did  any  one  know  positively  that  he 
intended  to  do  so.  In  order  to  prevent,  if  pos- 
sible, any  dispute  on  this  question,  and  to  an- 
ticipate any  movements  which  John  might  oth- 
erwise make  to  secure  the  crown  to  himself,  the 
Parliament  petitioned  the  king  to  bring  the 
young  Prince  Richard  before  them,  that  they 
might  publicly  receive  him,  and  recognize  him 
formally  as  heir  to  the  crown.  This  the  king 
did.  Richard  was  dressed  in  royal  robes,  and 
conveyed  in  great  state  to  the  hall  where  Par- 
liament was  convened.  Of  course,  the  spectacle 
of  a  boy  of  ten  years  old  brought  in  this  man- 
ner before  so  august  an  assembly  excited  uni- 
versal attention.  The  young  prince  was  re- 
ceived with  great  honor.  A  solemn  oath  of 


1376.]  ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRONE.  171 

Grand  entertainment  at  Christmas. 

allegiance  was  taken  by  all  present,  including 
the  members  of  the  Parliament,  the  great  of- 
ficers of  state,  and  a  number  of  nobles  of  high 
rank,  including  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  himself. 
In  this  oath,  the  claims  of  Eichard  to  succeed 
his  grandfather  as  King  of  England  were  rec- 
ognized, and  those  taking  the  oath  bound  them- 
selves forever  to  maintain  his  rights  against  all 
who  should  ever  call  them  in  question. 

At  Christmas  of  that  year  the  king  gave  a 
great  entertainment  to  all  the  lords  and  nobles 
of  his  court.  At  this  entertainment  he  gave 
Prince  Richard  the  highest  place,  next  to  him- 
self, putting  his  uncle  John,  and  all  his  other 
uncles,  below  him.  This  was  to  signify  that  he 
was  now  the  second  person  in  the  kingdom,  and 
that  his  uncles  must  always  henceforth  yield 
precedence  to  him. 

The  king  was  now  sixty-five  years  of  age; 
His  health  was  very  infirm.  It  was  made  so,  in 
great  measure,  by  his  mode  of  life,  which  was 
scandalous.  He  associated  with  corrupt  men 
and  women,  who  led  him  into  great  excesses. 
As  the  spring  of  the  year  came  on  he  grew 
worse,  but  he  would  not  abandon  his  evil  hab- 
its. He  lived  at  one  of  his  palaces  on  the 
Thames,  a  short  distance  above  London,  near 
Richmond.  His  government  fell  into  great  dis- 


172  KING  KICHABD  II. 

Bad  character  of  the  king.  Alice  Ferrers. 

order,  but  he  did  nothing  to  restrain  or  correct 
the  evils  that  occurred.  In  a  word,  he  was  fast 
relapsing  into  utter  imbecility. 

There  was  a  young  woman,  named  Alice  Fer- 
rers, who  had  for  some  time  been  the  favorite 
of  the  king,  and  had  openly  lived  with  him, 
greatly  to  the  displeasure  of  many  of  his  peo- 
ple. She  was  now  with  him  at  his  palace.  The 
nobles  and  courtiers  who  had  been  in  attend- 
ance upon  the  king,  seeing  that  he  was  soon  to 
die,  began  to  withdraw  from  him,  and  leave 
him  to  his  fate.  They  saw  that  there  was  noth- 
ing more  to  be  obtained  from  him,  and  that,  for 
their  future  prospects,  they  must  depend  on  the 
favor  of  Prince  Eichard  or  of  his  uncle  John. 
It  is  true  that  Eichard's  right  to  the  succession 
had  been  acknowledged,  but  then  he  was  yet  a 
child,  and  it  was  supposed  that  his  uncle  John, 
being  the  next  oldest  son  of  the  king,  would 
probably  be  appointed  regent  until  he  should 
come  of  age.  So  the  courtiers  left  the  dying 
monarch  to  his  fate,  and  went  to  court  the  favor 
of  those  who  were  soon  to  succeed  to  his  power. 
Some  went  to  the  palace  of  the  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster ;  others  proceeded  to-Kennington,  where 
the  prince  and  his  mother  were  residing.  The 
poor  king  found  himself  forsaken  of  all  the 
world,  and  left  to  die  neglected  and  alone.  It 


1376.]  ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRON«.  173 

Death  of  the  king.  A  council  of  government  appointed 

is  said  that  Alice  Ferrers  was  the  last  to  leave 
him,  and  that  she  only  remained  after  the  rest 
for  the  sake  of  a  valuable  ring  which  he  wore 
upon  his  finger,  and  which  she  wished  to  get 
away  from  him  as  soon  as  the  dying  monarch 
was  too  far  gone  to  be  conscious  of  the  robbery. 

The  counselors  and  nobles,  though  they  thus 
forsook  the  king,  were  not  wholly  unmindful 
of  the  interests  of  the  kingdom.  They  assem- 
bled immediately  after  his  death,  and  determ- 
ined that  during  Eichard's  minority  the  govern- 
ment should  be  administered  by  a  council,  and 
they  selected  for  this  council  twelve  men  from 
among  the  highest  nobles  of  the  land.  They 
determined  upon  this  plan  rather  than  upon  a 
regency  because  they  knew  that  if  a  regent 
were  appointed  it  would  be  necessary  that  the 
Duke  of  Lancaster  should  be  the  man,  and  they 
were  unwilling  to  put  the  power  into  his  hands, 
for  fear  that  he  would  not  surrender  it  when 
Eichard  should  come  of  age. 

Besides,  it  would  be  in  his  power,  in  case  he 
had  been  appointed  regent,  to  have  caused  Eich- 
ard to  be  put  to  death  in  some  secret  way,  if  he 
chose  to  do  so,  and  then,  of  course,  the  crown 
would,  without  dispute,  pass  next  to  him.  It 
was  not  wholly  unreasonable  to  fear  this,  for 
such  crimes  had  often  been  committed  by  ri  val 


174  KING  KICHAKD  II. 

Chivalry.  Fear  of  the  French.  Embargo. 

against  rival  in  the  English  royal  line.  A  man 
might  be  in  those  days  a  very  brave  and  gal- 
lant knight,  a  model  in  the  eyes  of  all  for  the 
unsullied  purity  of  his  chivalric  honor,  and  yet 
be  ready  to  poison  or  starve  an  uncle,  or  a  broth- 
er, or  a  nephew,  without  compunction  or  re- 
morse, if  their  rights  or  interests  conflicted  with 
his  own.  The  honor  of  chivalry  was  not  moral 
principle  or  love  of  justice  and  right ;  it  was 
mere  punctiliousness  in  respect  to  certain  con- 
ventional forms. 

Immediately  on  the  death  of  the  king,  orders 
were  sent  to  all  the  ports  in  the  southern  part 
of  England  forbidding  any  ship  or  boat  of  any 
kind  from  going  to  sea.  The  object  of  this  was 
to  keep  the  death  of  the  king  a  secret  from  the 
King  of  France,  for  fear  that  he  might  seize  the 
opportunity  for  an  invasion  of  England.  In- 
deed, it  was  known  that  he  was  preparing  an 
expedition  for  this  purpose  before  the  king  died, 
and  it  was  considered  very  important  that  he 
should  not  hear  of  the  event  until  the  govern- 
ment should  be  settled,  lest  he  should  take  ad- 
vantage of  it  to  hasten  his  invasion. 

The  making  of  these  arrangements,  and  the 
funeral  ceremonies  connected  with  the  inter- 
ment of  the  king,  occupied  some  days.  There 
was  also  a  difficulty  between  the  Duke  of  Lan- 


ACCESSION  TO  THE   THRONE.   175 


Some  account  of  Wickliffe  the  reformer. 


caster  and  the  citizens  of  London  to  ba  settled, 
which  for  a  time  threatened  to  be  quite  embar 
rassing.  The  case  was  this. 

In  all  accounts  of  the  Keformation  in  England, 
among  the  earliest  of  those  who  first  called  IB 
question  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  the  name 
of  Wickliffe  is  always  mentioned.  Indeed,  he 
has  been  called  the  morning  star  of  the  English 
Reformation,  as  he  appeared  before  it,  and,  by 
the  light  which  beamed  from  his  writings  and 
his  deeds,  announced  and  ushered  its  approach. 
He  was  a  collegian  of  the  great  University  of 
Oxford,  a  very  learned  man,  and  a  great  stu- 
dent of  ecclesiastical  and  civil  law.  During  the 
reign  of  Edward,  Richard's  grandfather,  who  had 
now  just  died,  there  had  been  some  disputes  be- 
tween him  and  the  Pope  in  relation  to  their  re- 
spective rights  and  powers  within  the  realm  of 
England.  This  is  not  the  place  to  explain  the 
particulars  of  the  dispute.  It  is  enough  here  to 
say  that  there  were  two  parties  formed  in  En- 
gland, some  taking  sides  with  the  Church,  and 
others  with  the  king.  The  bishops  and  clergy, 
of  course,  belonged  to  the  former  class,  and 
many  of  the  high  nobility  to  the  latter.  At 
length,  after  various  angry  discussions,  the  Pope 
issued  a  bull,  addressed  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  and  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  two 


176  KING  KICHARD  II. 

The  Pope's  bulls.  Meaning  of  the  term.  The  golden  bull. 

of  the  highest  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  of  the 
realm,  commanding  them  to  cause  Wickliffe  to 
be  apprehended  and  brought  before  them  for 
trial  on  the  charge  of  heresy. 

The  decrees  of  popes  were  in  those  days,  as 
now,  generally  called  bulls.  The  reason  why 
they  were  called  by  this  name  was  on  account 
of  their  being  authenticated  by  the  Pope's  seal, 
which  was  impressed  upon  a  sort  of  button  or 
boss  of  metal  attached  to  the  parchment  by  a 
cord  or  ribbon.  The  Latin  name  for  this  boss 
was  bulla.  Such  bosses  were  sometimes  made 
of  lead,  so  as  to  be  easily  stamped  by  the  seal. 
Sometimes  they  were  made  of  other  metals. 
There  was  one  famous  decree  of  the  Pope  in 
which  the  boss  was  of  gold.  This  was  called 
the  golden  bull. 

On  the  adjoining  page  we  have  an  engraving, 
copied  from  a  very  ancient  book,  representing 
an  archbishop  reading  a  bull  to  the  people  in  a 
church.  You  can  see  the  boss  of  metal,  with 
the  seal  stamped  upon  it,  hanging  down  from 
the  parchment. 

As  soon  as  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
and  the  Bishop  of  London  received  the  bull 
commanding  them  to  bring  Wickliffe  to  trial, 
they  caused  him  to  be  seized  and  brought  to 


ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRONE.    179 


Trial  of  Wickliffe  in  London.          The  assembly.          Violent  disputes. 

London.  On  hearing  of  his  arrest,  a  number 
of  his  friends  among  the  nobles  came  at  once 
to  London  too,  in  order  that  they  might  sup- 
port him  by  their  countenance  and  encourage- 
ment, and  restrain  the  prelates  from  carrying 
their  hostility  against  him  too  far.  Among 
these  were  the  Duke  -of  Lancaster  and  a  certain 
Lord  Percy,  a  nobleman  of  very  high  rank  and 
station.  The  trial  took  place  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Paul's.  Wickliffe  was  called  upon  to  answer 
to  the  charges  made  against  him  before  a  very 
imposing  court  of  ecclesiastics,  all  dressed  mag- 
nificently in  their  sacerdotal  robes.  The  knights 
and  barons  who  took  Wickliffe's  side  were  pres- 
ent too  in  their  military  costume,  and  a  great 
assembly  besides,  consisting  chiefly  of  the  citi- 
zens of  London. 

•  The  common  people  of  London,  being  great- 
ly under  the  influence  of  the  priests,  were,  of 
course,  against  Wickliffe,  and  they  looked  with 
evil  eyes  upon  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  and  the 
other  nobles  who  had  come  there  to  befriend 
him.  In  the  course  of  the  trial,  which  it  seems 
was  not  conducted  in  a  very  regular  manner, 
the  prelates  and  the  nobles  got  into  a  dispute. 
The  dispute  at  last  became  so  violent  that  the 
Duke  of  Lancaster  had  the  rudeness  to  threaten 
the  Bishop  of  London  that  if  he  did  not  behave 


180  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Rudeuess  of  the  Duke  of  Lancaster.  Indignation  of  the  people. 

better  he  would  drag  him  out  of  the  church  by 
the  hair  of  his  head.  This  was  certainly  very 
rough  language  to  address  to  a  bishop,  especial- 
ly at  a  time  when  he  was  sitting,  under  author- 
ity from  the  Pope,  as  a  judge  in  a  high  spiritual 
court,  and  clothed  in  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
his  sacred  office.  The  Londoners  were  excess- 
ively angry.  They  went  out  and  called  their 
fellow-citizens  to  arms.  The  excitement  spread 
and  increased  during  the  night,  and  the  next 
morning  a  mob  collected  in  the  streets,  threat- 
ening vengeance  against  the  duke  and  Lord 
Percy,  and  declaring  that  they  would  kill  them. 
The  duke's  arms,  which  were  displayed  in  a 
public  place  in  the  city,  they  reversed,  as  was 
customary  in  the  case  of  traitors,  and  then  grow- 
ing more  and  more  excited  as  they  went  on, 
they  directed  their  steps  toward  the  palace  of 
the  Savoy,  where  they  expected  to  find  the  duke 
himself.  The  duke  was  not  there,  but  the  men 
would  have  set  fire  to  the  palace  had  it  not  been 
for  the  interposition  of  the  Bishop  of  London. 
,He,  hearing  what  was  going  on,  repaired  to  the 
spot,  and  with  great  difficulty  succeeded  in  re- 
straining the  mob  and  saving  the  palace.  They, 
however,  proceeded  forthwith  to  the  house  of 
Lord  Percy,  where  they  burst  through  the  doors, 
and,  ransacking  all  the  rooms,  tore  and  broke 


ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRONE.    181 

Priest  murdered.  Alarm  of  the  mayor  and  aldermen. 

every  thing  to  pieces,  and  threw  the  fragments 
out  at  the  windows.  They  found  a  man  dress- 
ed as  a  priest,  whom  they  took  to  be  Lord  Per- 
cy in  disguise,  and  they  killed  him  on  the  spot. 

The  murdered  man  was  not  Lord  Percy,  how- 
ever, but  a  priest  in  his  own  proper  dress.  Lord 
Percy  and  the  duke  were  just  preparing  to  sit 
down  to  dinner  quietly  together  in  another 
place,  when  a  messenger  came  breathless  and 
informed  them  what  was  going  on.  They  im- 
mediately fled.  They  ran  to  the  water-side,  got 
into  a  boat,  and  rowed  themselves  over  to  Ken- 
nington,  a  place  on  the  southern  side  of  the  riv- 
er, nearly  opposite  to  Westminster,  where  the 
young  Prince  Eichard  and  his  mother  were 
then  residing ;  for  all  this  took  place  just  before 
King  Richard's  grandfather  died. 

The  lord-mayor  and  aldermen  of  London 
were  greatly  alarmed  when  they  heard  of  this 
riot,  and  of  the  excesses  which  the  citizens  of 
London  had  committed.  They  were  afraid  that 
the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  whose  influence  and 
power  they  knew  was  already  very  great,  and 
which  would  probably  become  vastly  greater 
on  the  death  of  the  king,  would  hold  them  re- 
sponsible for  it.  So  they  went  in  a  body  to 
Richmond,  where  the  king  was  lying  sick,  and 
made  very  humble  apologies  for  the  indignities 


182  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Deputation  sent  to  the  young  king. 

which  had  been  offered  to  the  duke,  and  they 
promised  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  punish  the 
transgressors.  The  king  was,  however,  too  far 
gone  to  pay  much  attention  to  this  embassy. 
The  mayor  and  aldermen  then  sent  a  deputa- 
tion to  Prince  Kichard  at  Kennington,  to  de- 
'  clare  their  good- will  to  him,  and  their  readiness 
to  accept  him  as  their  sovereign  upon  the  death 
of  his  father,  and  to  promise  faithful  allegiance 
to  him  on  their  own  part  individually,  and  on 
the  part  of  the  city  of  London.  They  hoped 
by  this  means  to  conciliate  the  good  opinion  of 
Richard  and  of  his  mother,  as  well  as  of  the 
other  friends  around  him,  and  prepare  them  to 
judge  leniently  of  their  case  when  it  should 
come  before  them. 

All  this,  as  has  already  been  remarked,  took 
place  just  before  King  Edward's  death.  Im- 
mediately after  his  death  Richard  and  his  moth- 
er went  to  Richmond,  and  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  the  palace  where  Edward  died.  On 
the  next  day  a  deputation  was  sent  to  the  may- 
or and  aldermen  of  London  in  Richard's  name, 
calling  upon  them  to  appear  at  Richmond  be- 
fore the  king,  together  with  the  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster and  his  friends,  in'  order  that  both  sides 
might  be  heard  in  respect  to  the  subject-matter 
of  the  dispute,  and  that  the  question  might  be 


1376.]  ACCESSION  TO  THE  THRONE.  183 

The  Londoners  summoned.  Richard  holds  a  court. 

properly  decided.  The  Duke  of  Lancaster,  they 
were  informed,  had  agreed  to  this  course,  and 
was  ready  to  appear.  They  were  accordingly 
summoned  to  appear  also. 

The  Londoners  were  at  first  rather  afraid  to 
obey  this  injunction.  They  did  not  think  that 
a  boy  of  eleven  years  of  age  was  really  compe- 
tent to  hear  and  decide  such  a  case.  Then  they 
were  afraid,  too,  that  the  Duke  of  Lancaster, 
being  his  uncle,  would  have  such  an  influence 
over  him  as  to  lead  him  to  decide  just  as  he, 
the  duke,  should  desire,  and  that  thus,  if  they 
submitted  to  such  a  hearing  of  the  case,  they 
would  place  themselves  wholly  in  the  duke's 
power.  After  some  hesitation,  however,  they 
finally  concluded  to  go,  stipulating  only  that, 
whatever  disposal  might  be  made  of  the  case, 
there  should,  in  no  event,  any  personal  harm 
befall  the  mayor  or  the  aldermen. 

This  condition  was  agreed  to,  and  the  parties 
appeared  on  the  appointed  day  before  the  little 
king  to  have  the  case  tried.  Eichard  was,  of 
course,  surrounded  by  his  officers  and  counsel- 
ors, and  the  business  was  really  transacted  by 
them,  though  it  was  done  in  the  young  king's 
name.  There  was  no  difficulty  in  settling  the 
dispute  amicably,  for  all  parties  were  disposed 
to  have  it  settled,  and  in  such  cases  it  is  always 


184  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1376. 

The  whole  difficulty  amicably  settled. 

easy  to  find  a  way.  In  this  instance,  the  ad- 
visers of  Richard  managed  so  well  that  the  duke 
and  his  friends  were  quite  reconciled  to  the 
Londoners,  and  they  all  went  out  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  king  at  last,  when  the  case  was  con- 
cluded, as  good  friends  apparently  as  they  had 
ever  been. 

The  settling  of  this  dispute  was  the  first  act 
of  King  Richard's  reign.  Considering  how  vio- 
lent the  dispute  had  been,  and  how  powerful 
the  parties  to  it  were,  and  also  considering  that 
Richard  was  yet  nothing  but  a  small  though 
very  pretty  boy,  we  must  admit  that  it  was  a 
very  good  beginning. 


A.D.1377.]  THE   CORONATION.  185 


Nature  and  design  of  a  coronation. 


-  CHAPTER  VII. 
THE   CORONATION. 

THE  coronation  of  a  monarch  is  often  post- 
poned for  a  considerable  time  after  his  ac- 
cession to  the  throne.  There  is  no  practical 
inconvenience  in  such  a  postponement,  for  the 
crowning,  though  usually  a  very  august  and 
imposing  ceremony,  is  of  no  particular  force  or 
effect  in  respect  to  the  powers  or  prerogatives 
of  the  king.  Ee  enters  upon  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  all  these  prerogatives  and  powers  at 
once  on  the  deaih  of  Lis  predecessor,  and  can 
exercise  them  all  without  restraint,  as  the  pub- 
lic good  may  require.  The  coronation  is  mere- 
ly a  pageant,  which,  aj  such,  may  be  postponed 
for  a  longer  or  shorter  period,  as  occasion  may 
require. 

Richard  was  crowned,  however,  a  very  short 
time  after  his  father's  death.  It  was  thought 
best,  undoubtedly,  to  take  prompt  measures  for 
sealing  and  securing  his  right  to  the  succession, 
lest  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  or  some  other  per- 
son might  be  secretly  forming  plans  to  supplant 
him.  King  Edward,  Richard'*  grandfather,  died 


186  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1377. 

Arrangementa  made  for  Richard's  coronation. 

on  the  22d  of  June.  The  funeral  occupied  sev- 
eral days,  and  immediately  afterward  arrange- 
ments began  to  be  made  for  the  coronation. 
The  day  was  appointed  for  the  16th  of  July. 
On  the  15th  the  king  was  to  proceed  in  state 
from  the  palace  in  the  environs  of  London 
where  he  had  been  residing, -through  the  city 
of  London,  to  Westminster,  where  the  corona- 
tion was  to  take  place ;  and  as  the  people  of 
London  desired  to  make  a  grand  parade  in  hon- 
or of  the  passage  of  the  king  through  the  city, 
the  arrangements  of  the  occasion  comprised  two 
celebrations  on  two  successive  days — the  pro- 
cession through  London  on  the  15th,  and  the 
coronation  at  Westminster  on  the  16th. 

On  the  morning  of  the  loth,  an  imposing 
train  of  the  nobility,  led  by  all  the  great  officers 
of  state,  assembled  at  the  residence  of  the  king 
to  receive  him  and  to  escort  him  through  the 
city.  Richard  was  dressed  in  magnificent  robes, 
and  mounted  upon  a  handsome  charger.  A  no- 
bleman led  his  horse  by  the  bridle.  Another 
nobleman  of  high  rank  went  before  him,  bear- 
ing the  sword  of  state,  the  emblem  of  the  regal 
power.  Other  nobles  and  prelates  in  great  num- 
bers, mounted  many  of  them  on  'splendidly -ca- 
parisoned horses,  and  in  full  armor,  joined  in 
the  train.  Bands  of  musicians,  with  trumpets 


A.D.1377.]  THE  CORONATION,  187 

Conduits  of  wine.  Golden  snow.  The  young  girls. 

and  other  martial  instruments  in  great  numbers, 
filled  the  air  with  joyful  sounds,  and  in  this 
manner  the  procession  commenced  its  march. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Londoners  had  made 
great  preparations  for  the  reception  of  the  cor- 
tege. Conduits  were  opened  in  various  parts 
of  the  city,  to  run  with  wine  instead  of  water, 
in  token  of  the  general  joy.  In  the  heart  of 
the  city  an  edifice  in  the  form  of  a  castle  was 
erected  in  honor  of  the  occasion.  This  castle 
had  four  towers.  In  each  of  the  towers  were 
four  beautiful  young  girls,  all  about  Richard's 
age.  They  were  dressed  in  white,  and  their 
duty  was,  as  the  king  went  by,  to  throw  out  a 
quantity  of  little  leaves  of  gold,  which,  falling 
upon  and  all  around  the  king,  produced  the  ef- 
fect of  a  shower  of  golden  flakes  of  snow. 

The  procession  stopped  before  the  castle. 
There  were  conduits  flowing  with  wine  upon 
two  sides  of  it.  The  young  girls  descended 
from  the  towers,  bringing  golden  cups  in  their 
hands.  These  cups  they  filled  with  wine  at  the 
fountains,  and  offered  them  to  the  king  and  to 
the  nobles  who  accompanied  him.  On  the  top 
of  the  castle,  between  the  four  towers,  there 
stood  a  golden  angel  with  a  crown  in  his  hand. 
By  some  ingenious  mechanism,  this  angel  was 
made  to  extend  his  arm  to  the  king,  as  if  in  the 


188  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Procession.  Crowds  of  people  in  the  streets. 

act  of  offering  him  the  crown.  This  was  a  sym- 
bol representing  the  idea  often  inculcated  in 
those  days,  that  the  right  of  the  king  to  reign 
was  a  divine  right,  as  if  the  crown  were  placed 
upon  his  head  by  an  angel  from  heaven. 

After  pausing  thus  a  short  time  at  the  castle, 
the  procession  moved  on.  The  streets  were  fill- 
ed with  vast  crowds  of  people,  who  drowned 
the  music  of  the  trumpets  and  drums  by  their 
continual  acclamations. 

In  this  way  the  royal  procession  passed  on 
through  London,  and  at  length  arrived  at  the 
gate  of  the  palace  in  Westminster.  Here  Rich- 
ard was  assisted  to  dismount  from  his  horse, 
and  was  conducted  into  the  palace  between  two 
long  lines  of  knights  and  soldiers  that  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  entrance  and  upon  the  staircase 
to  honor  his  arrival.  He  was  glad  that  the 
ceremony  was  over,  for  he  was  beginning  to  be 
very  tired  of  riding  on  horseback  so  many 
hours,  and  of  being  so  long  in  the  midst  of 
scenes  of  so  much  noise,  excitement,  and  con- 
fusion. 

The  next  day  was  the  day  appointed  for  the 
coronation  itself.  Richard  was  dressed  in  his 
royal  robes,  and  shortly  before  noon  he  was 
conducted  in  great  state  from  the  palace  to  the 
church.  He  was  received  by  a  procession  of 


THE   COKONATIOJST.  189 

<  Ceremonies  of  the  coronation.  Bewildering  scene. 

bishops  and  monks,  and  conducted  by  them  to 
the  grand  altar.  The  pavement  before  the  al- 
tar was  covered  with  rich  tapestry.  Here  Rich- 
ard kneeled  while  prayers  were  said  and  the 
Litany  was  sung  by  the  priests.  His  barons  and 
nobles,  and  the  great  officers  of  state,  kneeled 
around  him.  After  the  prayers  were  over,  he 
was  conducted  to  an  elevated  seat,  which  was 
richly  decorated  with  carvings  and  gold. 

A  bishop  then  ascended  to  a  pulpit  built 
against  one  of  the  vast  Gothic  columns  of  the 
church,  and  preached  a  sermon.  The  sermon 
was  on  the  subject  of  the  duty  of  a  king;  ex- 
plaining how  a  king  ought  to  conduct  himself 
in  the  government  of  his  people,  and  enjoining 
upon  the  people,  too,  the  duty  of  being  faithful 
and  obedient  to  their  king. 

Richard  paid  little  attention  to  this  sermon, 
being  already  tired  of  the  scene.  He  was,  more- 
over, bewildered  by  the  multitude  of  people 
crowded  into  the  church,  and  all  gazing  intent- 
ly and  continually  upon  him.  There  were  bish- 
ops and  priests  in  their  sacerdotal  robes  of  crim- 
son and  gold,  and  knights  and  nobles  brilliant 
with  nodding  plumes  and  glittering  armor  of 
steel.  When  the  sermon  was  finished,  the  oath 
was  administered  to  Richard.  It  was  read  by 
the  archbishop,  Richard  assenting  to  it  when  it 


190  KING  RICHARD  IT. 

Oath  administered  to  the  people.  Ceremony  of  anointing. 

was  read.  As  soon  as  the  oath  had  thus  been 
administered,  the  archbishop,  turning  in  succes- 
sion to  each  quarter  of  the  church,  repeated  the 
oath  in  a  loud  voice  to  the  people,  four  times  in 
all,  and  called  upon  those  whom  he  successive- 
ly addressed  to  ask  whether  they  would  sub- 
mit to  Richard  as  their  king.  The  people  on 
each  side,  as  he  thus  addressed  them  in  turn, 
answered,  with  a  loud  voice,  that  they  would 
obey  him.  This  ceremony  being  ended,  the 
archbishop  turned  again  toward  Richard,  pro- 
nounced certain  additional  prayers,  and  then 
gave  him  his  benediction. 

The  ceremony  of  anointing  came  next.  The 
archbishop  advanced  to  Richard  and  began  to 
take  off  the  robes  in  which  he  was  attired.  At 
the  same  time,  four  earls  held  over  and  around 
him,  as  a  sort  of  screen,  a  coverture,  as  it  was 
called,  of  cloth  of  gold.  Richard  remained  un- 
der this  coverture  while  he  was  anointed.  The 
archbishop  took  off  nearly  all  his  clothes,  and 
then  anointed  him  with  the  holy  oil.  He  ap- 
plied the  oil  to  his  head,  his  breast,  his  shoul- 
ders, and  the  joints  of  his  arms,  repeating,  as  he 
did  so,  certain  prayers.  The  choir,  in  the  mean 
time,  chanted  a  portion  of  the  Scriptures  rela- 
ting to  the  anointing  of  King  Solomon.  When 
the  oil  had  been  applied,  the  archbishop  put 


THE   CORONATION.  191 


Richard  clothed  in  his  royal  robes. 


upon  the  king  a  long  robe,  and  directed  him  to 
kneel.  Richard  accordingly  kneeled  again  upon 
the  tapestry  which  covered  the  floor,  the  arch- 
bishop and  the  bishops  kneeling  around  him. 
While  in  this  position  the  archbishop  offered 
more  prayers,  and  more  hymns  were  sung,  and 
then  he  assisted  Richard  to  rise  from  his  kneel- 
ing posture,  and  proceeded  to  dress  and  equip 
him  with  the  various  garments,  and  arms,  and 
emblems  appropriate  to  the  kingly  power.  In 
putting  on  each  separate  article  the  archbishop 
made  a  speech  in  Latin,  according  to  a  form 
provided  for  such  occasions,  beginning  with, 
Receive  this  cloak,  receive  this  stole,  receive 
this  sword,  and  the  like.* 

In  this  manner  and  with  these  ceremonies 
Richard  was  invested  with  a  splendidly-em- 
broidered coat  and  cloak,  a  stole,  a  sword,  a  pair 
of  spurs,  a  pair  of  bracelets,  and,  finally,  with  a 
garment  over  all  called  the  pallium.  All  these 
things,  of  course,  had  been  made  expressly  for 
the  occasion,  and  were  adapted  to  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  boy  like  Richard.  The  archbishop 
was  assisted  in  putting  these  things  on  by  cer- 
tain nobles  of  the  court,  who  had  been  desig- 

*  The  stole  was  a  long  narrow  scarf,  fringed  at  the  ends. 
It  was  wound  about  the  neck  and  crossed  over  the  breast, 
and  was  worn  as  a  badge. 


192  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  crown.  The  globe.  The  »ceptre. 

nated  for  this  purpose,  and  who  considered 
themselves  highly  honored  by  the  part  that 
was  assigned  them  in  the  ceremony. 

When  the  dressing  had  been  completed,  the 
archbishop  took  the  crown,  and  after  having  in- 
voked a  blessing  upon  it  by  his  prayers  and 
benedictions,  all  in  the  Latin  tongue,  he  placed 
it  upon  Richard's  head,  repeating,  at  the  same 
time,  a  Latin  form,  the  meaning  of  which  was 
that  he  received  the  crown  from  God  Almighty, 
and  that  to  God  alone  he  was  responsible  for 
the  exercise  of  his  royal  power. 

Then  came  a  certain  grand  officer  of  the  court 
with  a  red  globe,  an  emblem  of  royalty  which 
has  long  been  used  in  England.  This  globe 
the  archbishop  blessed,  and  then  the  officer  put 
it  into  Richard's  hands.  In  the  same  manner 
the  sceptre  was  brought,  and,  after  being  blessed 
by  means  of  the  same  ceremonies  and  prayers, 
was  also  put  into  Richard's  hands. 

Richard  was  now  completely  invested  with 
the  badges  and  insignia  of  his  office.  The  arch- 
bishop then,  raising  his  hands,  pronounced  upon 
him  his  apostolic  benediction,  and  the  ceremony, 
so  far,  was  ended.  The  bishops  and  nobles  then 
came  up  to  congratulate  and  salute  Richard  on 
having  thus  received  his  crown,  after  which  they 
conducted  him  to  his  seat  again. 


THE  CORONATION.  193 

Richard  makes  his  offerings  at  the  altar. 

Richard  now  began  to  be  very  tired  and  to 
wish  to  go  home,  but  there  was  a  great  deal 
more  yet  to  come  before  he  could  be  set  at  lib- 
erty. There  was  an  anthem  to  be  sung  by  the 
choir,  and  more  prayers  to  be  said,  after  which 
there  came  what  was  called  the  offertory.  This 
was  a  ceremony  in  which  a  person  was  led  to 
the  altar,  to  lay  down  upon  it  whatever  offering 
he  chose  to  make  for  the  service  of  the  Church. 
The  king  rose  from  his  seat  and  was  led  for- 
ward to  the  altar,  having,  of  course,  been  pre- 
viously told  what  he  was  to  do.  He  had  in  his 
hand  a  sum  of  money  which  had  been  provided 
for  the  occasion.  He  laid  down  this  money 
first  upon  the  altar,  and  then  his  sword.  It 
was  the  custom  in  these  coronations  for  the 
king  thus  to  offer  his  sword,  in  token  of  the 
subordination  of  his  royal  power  to  the  law  and 
will  of  God,  and  then  the  sword  was  afterward 
to  be  redeemed  with  money  by  the  sword-bear- 
er, the  officer  whose  duty  it  was,  on  leaving  the 
church,  to  bear  the  sword  in  procession  before 
the  king. 

Accordingly,  after  Richard  had  returned  from 
the  altar,  the  earl  whose  office  it  was  to  bear  the 
sword  went  to  the  altar  and  redeemed  it  with  a 
sum  of  money,  and  carried  it  back  to  the  place 
where  Richard  was  sitting. 
8—13 


194  KING  K i CHARD  II.  [A.D.1377. 

Richard  is  entirely  exhausted  with  fatigue. 

Then  came  the  service  of  the  mass,  which 
occupied  a  long  time,  so  that  Richard  became 
very  tired  indeed  before  it  was  ended.  After 
the  mass  came  the  communion,  which  it  was 
necessary  for  Richard  to  partake.  The  com- 
munion was,  of  course,  accompanied  with  more 
prayers  and  more  chantings,  until  the  poor  boy 
thought  that  the  ceremonies  would  never  be 
ended.  When  at  last,  however,  all  was  over, 
and  the  procession  was  ready  to  form  again  to 
leave  the  church,  Richard  was  so  worn  out  and 
exhausted  with  the  fatigue  that  he  had  endured 
that  he  could  not  ride  home  ;  so  they  brought 
a  sort  of  litter  and  placed  him  upon  it,  and  four 
of  the  knights  bore  him  home  on  their  shoul- 
ders. His  uncle  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  and 
the  Earl  Percy  went  before  him,  and  a  long 
train  of  bishops,  nobles,  and  grand  officers  of 
state  followed  behind.  In  this  way  he  was 
brought  back  to  the  palace.  As  soon  as  the 
party  reached  the  palace,  they  carried  Richard 
directly  up  to  a  chamber,  took  off  all  his  grand 
paraphernalia,  and  put  him  to  bed. 

He  rested  a  little  while,  and  then  they  brought 
him  something  to  eat.  His  troubles  were,  how- 
ever, not  yet  over,  for  there  was  to  be  a  great 
banquet  that  afternoon  and  evening  in  the  hall 
of  the  palace,  and  it  was  necessary  that  he  should 


A.D.1377.]  THE  CORONATION.  195 

Creation  of  earls.  Kude  amusements.  Wine. 

be  there.  Accordingly,  after  a  short  time,  lie 
was  arrayed  again  in  his  royal  robes  and  insig- 
nia, and  conducted  down  to  the  hall.  Here 
he  had  a  ceremony  to  perform  of  creating  cer- 
tain persons  earls.  Of  course  it  was  his  coun- 
selors that  decided  who  the  persons  were  that 
were  to  be  thus  raised  to  the  peerage,  and  they 
told  him  also  exactly  what  he  was  to  do  and 
say  in  the  programme  of  the  ceremony.  He 
sat  upon  his  throne,  .surrounded  by  his  nobles 
and  officers  of  state,  and  did  what  they  told  him 
to  do.  When  this  ceremony  had  been  perform- 
ed, the  whole  company  sat  down  to  the  tables 
which  had  been  prepared  for  a  banquet. 

They  continued  their  feasting  and  carousing 
to  a  late  hour,  and  then  amused  themselves 
with  various  boisterous  games  common  in  those 
days.  In  the  court-yard  of  the  palace  a  pillar 
was  set  up,  with  pipes  at  the  sides  of  it,  from 
which  there  were  flowing  continually  streams 
of  wine  of  different  kinds,  and  every  body  who 
pleased  was  permitted  to  come  and  drink.  A 
part  of  the  amusement  consisted  in  the  push- 
ings  and  strugglings  of  the  people  to  get  to  the 
faucets,  and  the  spilling  of  the  wine  all  over 
their  faces  and  clothes.  The  top  of  the  pillar 
was  adorned  with  a  large  gilt  image  of  an  eagle. 

The  next  day  there  were  more  processions 


196  KING  RICHARD  II. 

French  invasions.  Kichard's  uncles.  His  bright  prospect*. 

and  more  celebrations,  but  Richard  himself  was, 
fortunately  for  him,  excused  from  taking  any 
part  in  them.  In  the  mean  time,  the  people  who 
managed  the  government  in  Richard's  name 
heard  the  news  that  the  French  had  learned,  in 
some  way,  the  tidings  of  King  Edward's  death, 
and  had  landed  in  the  southern  part  of  England, 
and  were  burning  and  destroying  all  before 
them.  So  they  made  all  haste  to  raise  an  army 
to  go  and  repel  the  invaders. 

It  was  finally  concluded,  also,  to  appoint  Rich- 
ard's two  uncles,  namely,  John,  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster, and  Edmund,  Earl  of  Cambridge,  as  his 
guardians  until  he  should  become  of  age.  Some 
persons  thought  it  was  not  safe  to  trust  Richard 
to  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  at  all,  but  others 
thought  it  would  be  better  to  conciliate  him  by 
treating  him  with  respect,  than  to  make  him  an 
open  enemy  by  passing  over  him  entirely. 

Richard  was  considered,  at  this  time,  a  very 
amiable  and  good  boy,  and  it  was  generally  be- 
lieved by  the  people  of  England  that,  with  a 
right  and  proper  training,  he  would  grow  up  to 
be  a  virtuous  and  honest  man,  and  they  antici- 
pated for  him  a  long  and  happy  reign.  And 
yet,  in  a  little  more  than  ten  years  after  he  be- 
came of  age,  he  was  disgraced  and  dethroned 
on  account  of  his  vices  and  crimes. 


CHIVALRY.  197 

Edmund,  Earl  of  Cambridge.  Thomas  of  Woodstock. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
CHIVALRY. 

BESIDES  his  uncle  John,  Duke  of  Lancas- 
ter, Richard  had  two  other  uncles,  who 
each  acted  an  important  part  in  public  affairs 
at   the    commencement    of  his    reign.     They 
were, 

1.  His  uncle  Edmund,  who  was  the  Earl  of 
Cambridge,  and  afterward  Duke  of  York.     Of 
course  he  is  sometimes  called,  in  the  histories 
of  those  times,  by  one  of  these  names,  and  some- 
times by  the  other. 

2.  His  uncle  Thomas.     Thomas  was  born  in 
the  palace  of  Woodstock,  and  so  was  often  call- 
ed Thomas  of  Woodstock.     He  was  the  Earl 
of  Buckingham,  and  afterward  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester. 

Besides  these  uncles,  Richard  had  a  cousin 
just  about  his  own  age,  who  afterward,  as  we 
shall  see,  played  a  very  important  part  indeed 
in  Richard's  history.  This  cousin  was  named 
Henry  Bolingbroke.  He  was  the  son  of  Rich- 
ard's uncle  John,  the  Duke  of  Lancaster.  He 
and  Richard  were  now  both  about  eleven  years 


198  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Kichard's  young  cousin,  Henry  of  Bolingbroke. 

of  age  ;  or  rather,  Richard  was  eleven,  and  his 
cousin  Henry  was  about  ten. 

Of  course,  Richard  was  altogether  too  young 
to  exercise  any  real  control  in  respect  to  the 
government  of  the  country.  Every  thing  was, 
consequently,  left  to  the  Parliament  and  the 
nobles.  His  uncles  endeavored  to  assume  the 
general  direction  of  affairs,  but  there  was  never- 
theless a  strong  party  against  them.  There 
were  no  means  of  deciding  these  disputes  ex- 
cept by  the  votes  in  Parliament,  and  these  votes 
went  one  way  and  the  other,  as  one  party  or 
the  other,  for  the  time  being,  gained  the  ascend- 
ency. Every  one  watched  very  closely  the 
conduct  of  Richard's  uncle  John.  He  was  the 
next  oldest  son  of  Edward  the  Third,  after  Ed- 
ward, the  Prince  of  Wales,  Richard's  father.  Of 
course,  if  Richard  were  to  die,  he  would  become 
king ;  and  if  he  himself  were  to  die  before 
Richard  did,  and  then  Richard  were  to  die  be- 
fore he  grew  up  and  had  children  of  his  own, 
then  his  son,  Richard's  cousin,  Henry  Boling- 
broke, would  be  entitled  to  claim  the  kingdom. 
Thus,  while  Richard  remained  unmarried  and 
without  heirs,  this  Henry  Bolingbroke  was  in 
the  direct  line  of  succession,  and,  of  course,  next 
to  Richard  himself,  he  was,  perhaps,  the  most 
important  personage  in  the  kingdom.  There 


CHIVALRY.  199 

A  boy  king  in  France.  Richard  and  Henry  Bolingbroke. 

was,  it  is  true,  another  child,  the  grandchild  of 
an  older  uncle  of  Eichard's,  named  Lionel ;  but 
he  was  very  young  at  this  time,  and  he  died  not 
long  afterward,  leaving  Henry  Bolingbroke  the 
only  heir. 

It  is  curious  enough  that,  a  year  or  two  after 
this,  the  French  king  died,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  son,  a  boy  of  about  twelve  years  of  age. 
This  boy  was  Charles  the  Sixth.  He  was 
crowned  in  France  with  ceremonies  still  more 
splendid  and  imposing  in  some  respects  than 
those  which  had  been  observed  in  London  on 
the  occasion  of  Richard's  coronation.  Thus 
the  hopes  and  fears  of  all  the  millions  of  people 
inhabiting  France  and  England  respectively,  in 
regard  to  the  succession  of  the  crown  and  the 
government  of  the  country,  were  concentrated 
in  three  boys  not  yet  in  their  teens. 

Of  course,  Richard  and  his  cousin  Henry 
Bolingbroke  were  rivals  from  the  beginning. 
Richard  and  his  friends  were  jealous  and  sus- 
picious of  Henry  and  of  his  father,  and  were  al- 
ways imagining  that  they  were  wishing  that 
Richard  might  die,  in  order  that  they  might 
come  into  his  place.  Thus  there  was  no  cor- 
dial friendship  in  the  family,  nor  could  there  be 
any.  Of  the  other  nobles  and  barons,  some 
took  sides  in  one  way  and  some  in  the  other. 


200  KING  EICHARD  II. 

French  incursions  into  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

The  boys  themselves,  both  Richard  and  Henry, 
were  too  young  to  know  much  about  these 
things;  but  the  leading  barons  and  courtiers 
formed  themselves  into  parties,  ranging  them- 
selves some  on  one  side  and  some  on  the  other, 
so  as  to  keep  up  a  continual  feeling  of  jealousy 
and  ill-will. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  French  began  to  re- 
taliate for  the  invasions  of  their  country  which 
the  English  had  made,  by  planning  invasions 
of  England  in  return.  One  expedition  landed 
on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  after  burning  and  de- 
stroying the  villages  and  small  towns,  they  laid 
some  of  the  large  towns  under  a  heavy  contri- 
bution; that  is,  they  made  them  pay  a  large 
sum  of  money  under  a  threat  that,  if  the  money 
was  not  paid,  they  would  burn  down  their  town 
too.  So  the  citizens  collected  the  money  and 
paid  it,  and  the  French  expedition  set  sail  and 
went  away  before  the  government  had  time  to 
send  troops  from  London  to  intercept  them. 

The  French,  too,  besides  invading  England 
themselves  on  the  south,  incited  the  Scotch  to 
make  incursions  into  the  northern  provinces, 
for  Scotland  was  then  entirely  independent  of 
England.  A  curious  story  is  related  illustrat- 
ing the  religious  ignorance  which  prevailed 
among  the  common  people  of  Scotland  in  those 


A.B.  1379.]         CHIVALRY.  201 

Curious  story  of  the  Scotch  borderers. 

days.  It  seems  that  some  remarkable  epidemic 
prevailed  in  1379  in  the  northern  part  of  En- 
gland, which  was  extremely  fatal.  Great  num- 
bers of  people  died.  The  Scotch  sent  messen- 
gers across  the  border  to  ascertain  what  the 
cause  of  the  sickness  was.  The  English  people 
told  them  that  they  did  not  know  what  the 
cause  was.  It  was  a  judgment  from  God,  the 
nature  and  operation  of  which  was  hidden  from 
them.  They  added,  however,  this  pious  senti- 
ment, that  they  submitted  themselves  patiently 
to  the  dispensation,  for  they  knew  "that  every 
calamity  that  could  befall  men  in  this  world 
came  from  the  grace  of  God,  to  the  end  that, 
being  punished  for  their  sins,  they  might  be  led 
to  repent  and  reform  their  wicked  lives." 

The  messengers  went  home,  and  reported  to 
the  Scottish  borderers  that  the  English  people 
said  that  the  plague  came  from  the  grace  of 
God,  not  being  able,  it  would  seem,  to  remem- 
ber the  rest  of  the  message.  So  the  priests  ar- 
ranged a  form  of  prayer,  addressed  to  certain 
saints,  which  was  to  be  said  by  the  people  ev- 
ery morning.  This  prayer  implored  the  saints 
to  deliver  the  people  from  the  grace  of  God,  and 
the  dreadful  plagues  which  were  sent  by  it  upon 
men.  The  form  was  this  :* 

*  The  form  was  in  Latin.    We  give  here  the  English  of  it. 


202  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1379. 

Their  strange  ideas  of  the  grace  of  God. 

The  head  of  the  family  would  first  say, 
"Blessed  be,"  and  the  others  would  respond, 
"  The  Lord." 

Then  the  head  of  the  family  would  say, 
"  God  and  Saint  Mango, 
"  Saint  Romane  and  Saint  Andro, 
"  Shield  us  this  day  from  God's  grace,  and 
the  foul  death  that  Englishmen  die  of." 
And  all  the  others  would  say  "  Amen." 
Thus  they  considered  the  grace  of  God  as  an 
evil  which  they  were  to  pray  to  be  delivered 
from. 

Indeed,  the  common  people  at  this  time,  not 
only  in  Scotland,  but  throughout  England,  were 
in  a  state  of  great  ignorance  and  degradation- 
The  barons,  and  knights,  and  soldiers  general- 
ly looked  down  with  great  contempt  upon  all 
who  were  engaged  in  any  industrial  pursuits. 
In  the  country,  the  great  mass  of  those  who 
were  employed  in  tilling  the  ground  were  serfs 
or  slaves,  bought  and  sold  with  the  land,  and 
at  the  disposal,  in  almost  all  respects,  of  their 
haughty  masters.  The  inhabitants  of  the  towns, 
who  lived  by  the  manufacturing  arts  or  by 
commerce,  were  more  independent,  but  the  no- 
bles, and  knights,  and  all  who  considered  them- 
selves gentlemen  looked  down  with  something 
like  contempt  upon  these  too,  as,  in  fact,  their 


A  J).  1379.]         CHI  v  ALB  Y.  203 

Nature  of  the  royal  government  The  House  of  Commons. 

successors,  the  present  aristocracy  of  England, 
do  at  the  present  day,  regarding  them  as  per- 
sons in  a  very  mean  condition,  and  engaged  in 
low  and  ignoble  pursuits.  Still,  the  industrial 
classes  had  increased  greatly  in  wealth  and  num- 
bers, and  they  began  to  have  and  to  express 
some  opinion  in  respect  to  public  affairs.  They 
had  considerable  influence  in  the  House  of 
Commons ;  and  the  government  was,  in  a  great 
measure,  dependent  upon  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, and  was  becoming  more  and  more  so  ev- 
ery year.  It  is  true,  the  king,  or  rather  the 
great  lords  who  managed  the  government  in  his 
name,  could  make  war  where  they  pleased,  and 
appoint  whom  they  pleased  to  carry  it  on.  Still, 
they  could  not  assess  any  tax  except  by  the  con- 
sent of  the  Commons,  and  thus,  in  carrying  on 
any  great  operations,  they  were  becoming  every 
year  more  and  more  dependent  on  the  public 
sentiment  of  the  country. 

The  country  began  to  be  very  much  dissatis- 
fied with  the  management  of  public  affairs  with- 
in two  or  three  years  after  the  commencement 
of  Richard's  reign.  Large  sums  of  money  were 
raised,  and  put  into  the  hands  of  Richard's  un- 
cles, who  spent  it  in  organizing  great  expedi- 
tions by  land  and  sea  to  fight  the  French ;  but 
almost  all  of  these  expeditions  were  unsuccess- 


204  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Luxury  and  extravagance  of  the  nobility.  War*. 

ful.  The  people  thought  that  they  were  mis- 
managed, and  that  the  money  was  squandered. 
Some  of  the  nobles  expended  immense  sums 
upon  themselves.  In  the  case  of  one  expedi- 
tion that  put  to  sea  from  the  southern  coast  of 
England,  the  nobleman  who  commanded  it  had 
twenty-five  vessels  loaded  with  his  own  per. 
sonal  property  and  baggage,  and  that  of  his  ser- 
vants and  attendants.  This  man  had  fifty-two 
new  suits  of  apparel,  made  of  cloth  of  gold,  im. 
mensely  expensive.  The  fleet  was  wrecked> 
and  all  this  property  was  lost  in  the  sea. 

A  great  many  of  the  expeditions  that  were 
fitted  out  in  England  were  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  on  wars  in  Brittany  and  Aquitaine,  in 
France,  for  the  benefit  exclusively  of  the  nobles 
and  knights  who  claimed  possessions  in  those 
countries  ;  the  mass  of  the  people  of  England, 
at  whose  expense  the  operations  were  carried 
on,  having  no  interest  whatever  in  the  result. 
The  worst  of  it  was,  that  in  these  wars  no  real 
progress  was  made.  Towns  were  taken  and 
castles  were  stormed,  first  by  one  party  and  then 
by  the  other.  The  engraving  represents  the 
storming  of  one  of  these  towns,  and,  being  cop- 
ied from  an  ancient  picture,  it  shows  truthfully 
the  kind  of  armor  and  the  mode  of  fighting 
employed  in  those  days. 


CHIVALRY.  207 

Modes  of  warfare.  Mining.  Besieging  engines. 

Almost  the  only  way  of  forcing  a  passage 
into  a  castle  or  fortified  town  was  by  climbing 
over  the  walls  by  means  of  ladders,  and ,  over- 
powering the  garrison  upon  the  top  of  them  by 
main  force,  as  represented  in  the  engraving. 
Sometimes,  it  is  true,  the  besiegers  of  a  castle 
undermined  the  walls,  so  as  to  make  them  fall 
in  and  thus  open  a  breach.  At  the  present 
day,  mines  dug  in  this  way  are  blown  up  by 
gunpowder.  But  people  were  little  acquainted 
with  the  use  of  gunpowder  then,  and  so  they 
were  obliged  to  shore  up  the  walls  while  they 
were  digging  them  by  means  of  posts  and 
beams,  and  these,  after  the  miners  had  with- 
drawn, were  pulled  out  by  ropes,  and  thus  the 
walls  were  made  to  fall  down. 

Great  engines  were  sometimes  used,  too,  to 
batter  down  the  walls  of  castles  and  towns. 
There  was  one  kind  of  engine,  used  by  the  Duke 
of  Lancaster  in  one  of  his  campaigns  in  France 
in  the  early  part  of  Richard's  reign,  which  was 
called  a  sow.  The  sow  was  made  in  many  parts, 
at  a  distance  from  the  place  besieged,  wherever 
a  suitable  supply  of  beams  and  timber  could  be 
obtained,  and  then  was  brought  on  carts  to  the 
spot.  When  it  was  framed  together  and  put 
in  operation,  it  would  hurl  immense  stones, 
which,  striking  the  walls,  made  breaches  in 


208  KING  RICHARD  li. 

The  Duke  of  Lancaster's  sow.  Gunpowder. 

them,  or,  going  over  them,  came  down  into  the 
interior  of  the  place,  crushing  through  the  roofs 
of  the  houses,  and  killing  sometimes  multitudes 
of  men.  .  The  sow  was  made,  too,  so  as  to  afford 
shelter  and  protection  to  a  great  number  of  per- 
sons, who  could  ride  upon  it  while  it  was  drawn 
or  pushed  up  near  the  walls,  and  thus  reach  a 
point  where  they  could  begin  to  undermine  the 
walls,  or  plant  their  ladders  for  scaling  them. 
The  Duke  of  Lancaster  caused  one  sow  to  be 
made  which  would  carry,  in  this  way,  one  hund- 
red men. 

Gunpowder,  however,  began  to  be  used  about 
this  time,  though  in  a  very  imperfect  and  inef- 
ficient manner.  At  one  siege,  namely,  that  of 
St.  Malo,  a  town  on  the  northwestern  coast  of 
France,  it  is  said  that  the  Duke  of  Lancaster 
had  four  hundred  cannon.  They  were  all, 
however,  of  very  little  avail  in  taking  the  town. 

The  wars  waged  between  the  English  and 
the  French  in  these  chivalrous  times  were  much 
more  personal  in  their  character  than  wars  are 
at  the  present  day.  In  that  period  of  the  world, 
every  great  duke,  or  baron,  or  knight  was  in 
some  sense  an  independent  personage,  having 
his  own  separate  interests  to  look  out  for,  and 
his  own  individual  rights  and  honor  to  main- 
tain, to  a  degree  far  greater  than  now.  The 


A.D.I  378.]         CHIVALRY.  209 

Story  of  the  Welsh  knigl-it,  Evan.  Siege  of  Mortaiu. 

consequence  of  this  was,  that  the  narratives  of 
wars  of  those  times  contain  accounts  of  a  great 
many  personal  incidents  and  adventures  which 
make  the  history  of  them  much  more  entertain- 
ing than  the  histories  of  modern  campaigns.  I 
will  give  one  or  two  examples  of  these  personal 
incidents. 

At  one  time,  while  the  Duke  of  Lancaster 
was  besieging  St.  Malo  with  his  four  hundred 
cannon,  there  was  a  famous  Welsh  knight, 
named  Evan,  known  in  history  as  Evan  of 
Wales,  who  was  besieging  a  castle  belonging  to 
the  English.  The  name  of  the  castle  was  Mor- 
tain.  It  was  on  the  River  Garonne,  in  the  coun- 
try of  Aquitaine.  The  castle  was  so  strong  that 
Evan  had  no  hope  of  taking  it  by  force,  and  so 
he  invested  it  closely  on  all  sides,  and  sat  down 
quietly  waiting  for  the  garrison  to  be  starved 
into  a  surrender. 

The  castle  was  near  the  river.  Evan  built 
three  block-houses  on  the  three  sides  of  it.  One 
of  these  block-houses  was  on  the  edge  of  a  rock 
before  the  castle,  on  the  river  side.  The  second 
was  opposite  a  postern  gate,  and  was  intended 
particularly  to  watch  the  gate,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent any  one  from  coming  out  or  going  in. 
The  third  block-house  was  below  the  castle,  be- 
tween the  lower  part  of  it  and  the  water.  .To 

8—14 


210  KIXG  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1378. 

Situation  of  the  castle.  Evan' a  hostility  to  the  English. 

guard  the  fourth  side  of  the  castle,  Evan  had 
taken  possession  of  a  church  which  stood  at  some 
little  distance  from  it,  and  had  converted  the 
ehtirch  into  a  fort.  Thus  the  castle  was  com- 
pletely invested,  being  watched  and  guarded  on 
every  side.  The  garrison,  however,  would  not 
surrender,  hoping  that  they  might  receive  suc- 
cor before  their  provisions  were  entirely  ex- 
hausted. They  remained  in  this  condition  for 
a  year  and  a  half,  and  were  at  length  reduced 
to  great  distress  and  suffering.  Still,  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  castle  would  not  surrender. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  Evan,  a  knight  from 
Wales,  should  be  fighting  against  the ,  English, 
since  Wales  had  some  years  before  been  annex- 
ed to  the  realm  of  England.  The  reason  was; 
that  Evan's  family  had  been  driven  out  of  Wales 
l>y  the  cruelties  and  oppressions  of  the  English. 
His  father,  who  had  formerly  been  Prince  of 
Wales,  had  been  beheaded,  and  Evan,  in  his  in- 
fancy, had  been  saved  by  his  attendants,  who 
fled  with  him  to  France.  There  he  had  been 
received  into  the  family  of  the  French  king, 
John,  and,  after  he  had  grown  up,  he  had  fought 
under  John  many  years.  The  older  he  grew, 
the  more  his  heart  was  filled  with  resentment 
against  the  English,  and  now  he  was  engaged, 
teart  and  hand,  in  the  attempt  to  drive  them 


CHIVALRY.  211 

Hatred  of  the  English  against  Evan.  John  Lamb. 

out  of  France.  Of  course,  the  English  consid- 
ered him  a  traitor,  and  they  hated  him  much 
more  than  they  did  any  of  the  French  com- 
manders, of  whom  nothing  else  was  to  be  ex- 
pected than  that  they  should  be  enemies  to 
the  English,  and  fight  them  always  and  every- 
where. Evan  they  considered  as  in  some  sense 
one  of  their  own  countrymen  who  had  turned, 
against  them. 

There  was  another  circumstance  which  in- 
creased the  hatred  of  the  English  against  Evan, 
and  that  was,  that  he  had  taken  one  of  their 
knights  prisoner,  and  then  refused  to  ransom 
him  on  any  terms.  The  English  offered  any 
sum  of  money  that  Evan  would  demand,  or  they 
offered  to  exchange  for  him  a  French  knight -of 
the  same  rank ;  but  Evan  was  inexorable.  He 
would  not  give  up  his  prisoner  on  any  terms, 
but  sent  him  to  Paris,  and  shut  him  up  in  a 
dungeon,  where  he  pined  away,  and  at  length 
died  of  misery  and  despair. 

In  consequence  of  these  things,  a  plot  was 
formed  in  England  for  assassinating  Evan.  A 
Welshman,  by  the  name  of  John  Lamb,  was 
appointed  to  execute  it. 

John  Lamb  set  out  from  England,  and  cross- 
ed the  Channel  to  France.  He  was  a  well-edu 
cated  man,  speaking  French  fluently,  and  h» 


212  KING  EICHARD  II. 

John  Lamb  arrives  at  Mortain.  His  reception  by  Kran. 

was  well  received  every  where  by  the  French, 
for  he  told  them  that  he  was  a  countryman  of 
Evan's,  and  that  he  was  going  to  Mortain  to 
join  him.  The  French,  accordingly,  treated  him 
well,  and  helped  him  forward  on  his  journey. 

When  he  reached  Mortain,  he  came  into  the 
presence  of  Evan,  and,  falling  on  his  knees  be- 
fore him,  he  said  that  he  was  his  countryman, 
and  that  he  had  come  all  the  way  from  Wales 
to  enter  into  his  service.  Evan  did  not  suspect 
any  treachery.  He  received  the  man  kindly, 
and  made  many  inquiries  of  him  in  respect  to 
the  news  which  he  brought  from  Wales. 

John  gave  him  very  favorable  accounts  of 
the  country,  and  spoke  particularly  of  the  in- 
terest and  affection  which  was  every  where  felt 
for  him. 

"The  whole  country,"  said  he,  "are  think- 
ing and  talking  continually  about  you,  and  are 
anxiously  desiring  your  return.  They  wish  to 
have  you  for  their  lord." 

These  and  other  flatteries  quite  won  the  heart 
of  Evan,  and  he  took  Lamb  into  his  service,  and 
appointed  him  to  a  confidential  post  about  his 
person. 

For  a  time  after  this  there  were  occasional 
skirmishes  between  the  garrison  of  Mortain  and 
the  besiegers,  but,  as  the  strength  of  the  garri- 


CHIVALRY.  t      213 

State  of  the  siege.  Curious  manners  and  customs. 

son  gradually  failed,  these  contests  became  less 
and  less  frequent,  until  at  last  they  ceased  en- 
tirely. The  soldiers  of  Evan  then  had  nothing 
to  do  but  to  watch  and  wait  until  the  progress 
of  starvation  and  misery  should  compel  the  gar- 
rison to  surrender.  There  was  no  longer  any 
danger  of  sorties  from  the  walls,  and  the  be- 
siegers ceased  to  be  at  all  on  their  guard,  but 
went  and  came  at  their  ease  about  the  castle, 
just  as  if  there  were  no  enemy  near. 

Evan  himself  used  to  go  out  in  the  morning, 
when  the  weather  was  fine,  into  the  fields  in 
front  of  the  castle  before  he  was  dressed,  and 
there  have  his  hair  combed  and  plaited  a  long 
time ;  for,  like  most  of  the  knights  and  gentle- 
men soldiers  of  those  days,  he  was  very  partic- 
ular about  his  dress  'and  his  personal  appear- 
ance. On  these  occasions  he  often  had  nobody 
to  attend  him  but  John  Lamb.  There  was  a 
place  where  there  was  a  fallen  tree,  which  form- 
ed a  good  seat,  at  a  spot  which  afforded  a  com- 
manding view  of  the  castle  and  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  He  used  often  to  go  and  sit  upon 
this  tree  while  his  hair  was  combed,  amusing 
himself  the  while  in  watching  to  see  what  was 
going  on  in  the  castle,  and  to  observe  if  there 
were  any  signs  that  the  garrison  were  going  to 
surrender. 


214  KING  KICHAKD  IT. 

Jehn  Lamb  accomplishes  bin  purpose.  I  Jeath  of  1C  van. 

.One  morning,  after  a  very  warm  night,  during 
which  Evan  had  not  been  able  to  sleep,  he  went 
©ut  to  this  place  very  early.  He  was  not  dress- 
ed, but  wore  only  a  jacket  and  shirt,  with  a  cloak 
thrown  over  his  shoulders.  The  soldiers  gen- 
erally were  asleep,  and  there  was  nobody  with 
Evan  but  John  Lamb.  Evan  sat  down  upon 
the  log,  and  presently  sent  John  Lamb  to  the 
block-house  for  his  comb. 

"Go  and  get  my  comb,"  said  he,  "  and  comb 
my  hair.  That  will  refresh  me  a  little." 

So  John  went  for  the  comb.  As  he  went, 
Lowever,  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  time  for  the 
execution  of  his  plan  had  come.  So  he  brought 
witfo  him  from  the  block-house  a  Spanish  dag- 
ger, .which  he  found  there  in  Evan's  apartment 
As  soon  as  he  reached  Evan,  who  had  thrown 
off  his  cloak,  and  was  thus  almost  naked  and 
entirely  off  his  guard,  he  plunged  the  dagger 
into  him  up  to  the  hilt  at  a  single  blow.  Evan 
sank  down  upon  the  ground  a  lifeless  corpse. 
Lamb  left  the  dagger  in  the  wound,  and  walked 
directly  to  the  gate  of  the  castle. 

The  guards  at  the  gate  hailed  him  and  de- 
manded what  he  wanted.  He  said  he  wished 
to  see  the  governor  of  the  castle.  So  the  guards 
took  him  in,'  and  conducted  him  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  governor. 


CHIVALRY.  215 

Interview  between  John  Lanib  and  the  governor  of  the  castle. 

"My  lord,"  said  Lamb,  "I  have  delivered, 
you  from  one  of  the  greatest  enemies  you  ever 
had." 

"  From  whom  ?"  asked  the  governor. 

"  From  Evan  of  Wales,"  said  Lamb. 

The  governor  was  very  much  astonished  at 
hearing  this,  and  demanded  of  Lamb  by  what 
means  he  had  delivered  them  from  Evan.  Lamb 
then  related  to  the  governor  what  he  had  done. 

The  first  impression  produced  upon  the  gov- 
ernor's mind  by  the  statement  which  Lamb 
made  was  a  feeling  of  displeasure.  He  looked 
at  the  assassin  with  a  scowl  of  anger  upon  his 
face,  and  said  sternly, 

"Wretch  !  you  have  murdered  your  master. 
You  deserve  to  have  your  head  cut  off  for  suck 
a  deed ;  and,  were  it  not  that  we  are  in  suck 
great  straits,  and  that  we  gain  such  very  great 
advantage  by  his  death,  I  would  have  your  head 
cut  off  on  the  spot.  However,  what  is  done 
can  not  be  undone.  Let  it  pass." 

The  garrison  did  not  derive  any  immediate 
advantage,  after  all,  from  the  death  of  Evan,  for 
the  French  were  so  incensed  by  the  deed  which 
John  Lamb  had  perpetrated  that  they  sent  more 
troops  to  the  spot,  and  pressed  the  siege  more 
closely  than  ever.  The  garrison  was,  however, 
not  long  afterward  relieved  by  an  English  fleet*, 


216  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.  1378. 

The  knights  loved  fighting  for  its  own  sake. 

which  came  up  the  river  and  drove  the  French 
away. 

The  knights  and  barons  of  those  days  were 
not  accustomed  to  consider  it  any  hardship  to  go 
to  war  against  each  other,  but  rather  a  pleasure. 
They  enjoyed  fighting  each  other  just  as  men 
at  the  present  day  enjoy  hunting  wild  beasts  in 
the  forest;  and  that  chieftain  was  regarded  as 
the  greatest  and  most  glorious  who  could  pro- 
cure for  his  retainers  the  greatest  amount  of  this 
sort  of  pleasure,  provided  always  that  his  abili- 
ties as  a  leader  were  such  that  they  could  have 
their  full  share  of  victory  in  the  contests  that 
ensued.  It  was  only  the  quiet  and  industrial 
population  at  home,  the  merchants  of  London, 
the  manufacturers  of  the  country  towns,  and  the 
tillers  of  the  land,  who  were  impoverished  and 
oppressed  by  the  taxes  necessary  for  raising  the 
money  which  was  required,  that  were  disposed 
to  complain.  The  knights  and  soldiers  who 
went  forth  on  these  campaigns  liked  to  go. 
They  not  only  liked  the  excitements  and  the 
freedom  of  the  wild  life  they  led  in  camp,  and 
of  the  marches  which  they  made  across  the 
country,  but  they  liked  the  righting  itself. 
Their  hearts  were  filled  with  animosity  and 
hatred  against  their  foes,  and  they  were  at  any 
time  perfectly  willing  to  risk  their  lives  for  the 


A.D.  1380.]         CHIVALRY.  217 


Their  love  of  glory.  Story  of  De  Langurant.  His  men. 

opportunity  of  gratifying  these  passions.  They 
were  also  greatly  influenced  by  a  love  for  the 
praise  and  glory  which  they  acquired  by  the  per- 
formance of  any  great  or  brilliant  feat  of  arms. 

This  led  them  often  to  engage  in  single  per- 
sonal combats,  such,  for  example,  as  this.  There 
was  a  certain  French  knight,  named  De  Lan- 
gurant: he  was  making  an  incursion  into  the 
English  territories  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bor- 
deaux. One  day  he  was  scouring  the  country 
at  the  head  of  about  forty  troopers,  armed  with 
lances.  At  the  head  of  this  troop  he  came  into 
the  neighborhood  of  a  village  which  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  English,  and  was  defended  by  an 
English  garrison.  When  he  approached  the 
village  he  halted  his  men,  and  posted  them  in 
ambush  in  a  wood. 

"  You  are  to  remain  here  a  while,"  said  he. 
"  I  am  going  on  alone  before  the  town,  to  see  if 
I  can  not  find  some  body  to  come  out  to  fight 
me  in  single  combat." 

The  object  of  De  Langurant  in  this  plan  was 
to  show  his  daring,  and  to  perform  a  brave  ex- 
ploit which  he  might  have  to  boast  of,  and  glo- 
ry over  afterward  among  his  brother  soldiers. 

The  men  did  as  he  had  commanded  them, 
and  concealed  themselves  in  the  wood.  De 
Langurant  then  rode  on  alone,  his  lance  fixed 


218  KING  KICHAKD  II.  [A.D.1380. 

He  challenges  the  governor  of  the  castle  to  single  combat. 

in  its  rest,  and  his  helmet  glittering  in  the  sun, 
until  he  reached  the  gate  of  the  town.  Then 
he  halted  and  challenged  the  sentinel. 

The  sentinel  demanded  what  he  wanted. 

"  Where  is  the  captain  of  this  garrison  ?"  said 
the  trooper.  "  I  wish  you  to  go  and  find  him, 
and  tell  him  that  Lord  De  Langurant  is  at  the 
gates  of  the  town,  and  wishes  to  have  a  tilt  with 
him.  I  dare  him  to  come  and  fight  with  me, 
since  he  pretends  that  he  is  such  a  valiant  man. 
Tell  him  that  if  he  does  not  come,  I  will  pro- 
claim him  every  where  as  a  coward  that  did 
not  dare  to  come  out  and  meet  me." 

The  name  of  the  captain  whom  De  Langurant 
thus  challenged  was  Bernard  Courant.  It  hap- 
pened that  one  of  Bernard's  servants  was  upon 
the  gate,  near  the  sentinel,  at  the  time  this  chal- 
lenge was  given.  He  immediately  called  out 
to  De  Langurant,  saying, 

"  I  have  heard  what  you  have  said,  Sir  Knightr 
and  I  will  go  immediately  and  inform  my  mas- 
ter. You  may  rely  upon  seeing  him  in  a  few 
minutes,  if  you  will  wait,  for  he  is  no  coward." 

Bernard  was  greatly  incensed  when  he  heard 
the  impertinent  and  boasting  message  which  De 
Langurant  had  sent  him.  He  started  up  im- 
mediately and  called  for  his  arms,  command- 
ing, at  the  same  time,  that  his  horse  should  be 


CHIVALRY. 


Encounter  of  the  knights.  Use  of  lances. 

saddled,  He  was.  very  soon  equipped  and 
ready.  The  gate  was  opened,  the  drawbridge 
let  down,  and  he  sallied  forth.  De  Langurant 
was  waiting  for  him  on  the  plain. 

The  knights  were  both  mounted  on  furious 
chargers ;  and,  after  a  moment's  pause,  during 
which  they  eyed  each  other  with  looks  of  fierce 
defiance,  they  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and  the 
horses  began  to  gallop  toward  each  other  at  the 
top  of  their  speed.  Each  of  the  knights,  as  he 
advanced,  had  one  end  of  his  lance  supported 
in  its  rest,  while  he  pointed  the  other  directly 
toward  his  antagonist,  with  a  view  of  striking 
him  with  it  as  he  rode  by,  watching,  at  the  same 
time,  the  terrible  point  which  was  coming  to- 
ward him,  in  hopes  to  avoid  it  if  possible,  and, 
if  not,  to  bear  up  against  the  blow  so  firmly  as 
not  to  be  unhorsed.  The  lances  were  very  long, 
and  were  made  of  very  solid  wood,  but  the  chief 
momentum  of  the  blow  which  they  were  in- 
tended to  give  came  from  the  end  of  them  be- 
ing supported  in  a  rest,  which  was  connected 
with  the  saddle  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
whole  impetus  of  the  horse,  as  it  were,  was  com- 
municated to  the  lance,  and  this  impetus  was  so 
great,  that  if  a  lance  struck  in  such  a  manner 
that  it  could  not  glance  off,  and  did  not  over- 
throw the  man,  but  met  with  a  solid  resistance, 


220 


KING  KICHARD  II. 


Manner  In  which  such  combats  were  fought 


C3    t-    Q)      I    *T3     O>    •** 

CJ   »-    ^    c   ^    ^  'S 
^    *  T3    cS    O  «   ^ 

II H  III 


"frS2~§ 


tL> 

>» 


.  . 

^  -a  «  •«  ^- 


p  o) '?  »  ^  •£  o 


1   ,§111* 


CHIVALRY.  221 

Result  of  the  combat  between  Do  Langurant  and  Bernard. 

it  was  often  shivered  to  atoms  by  the  shock. 
This  happened  in  the  present  case.  The  lances 
of  both  combatants  were  shivered  at  the  first 
encounter.  The  riders  were,  however,  unin- 
jured. The  horses  wheeled,  made  a  short  cir- 
cuit, and  rushed  toward  each  other  again.  At 
the  second  encounter,  Bernard  brought  down  so 
heavy  a  blow  with  a  battle-axe  upon  the  iron 
armor  that  covered  De  Langurant's  shoulder, 
that  the  unfortunate  trooper  was  hurled  out  of 
his  saddle  and  thrown  to  the  ground. 

As  soon  as  Bernard  could  rein  in  his  horse 
again  and  bring  him  round,  he  galloped  up  to 
the  spot  where  De  Langurant  had  fallen,  and 
found  him  attempting  to  raise  himself  up  from 
the  ground.  At  the  same  time,  the  horsemen 
whom  De  Langurant  had  left  in  the  wood,  and 
who  had  been  watching  the  combat  from  their 
place  of  ambush,  seeing  their  master  unhorsed, 
began  to  put  themselves  in  motion  to  come  to 
his  rescue.  Bernard,  who  was  a  man  of  pro- 
digious strength,  reached  down  from  his  horse 
as  he  rode  over  his  fallen  enemy,  and  seized 
hold  of  his  helmet.  His  horse,  in  the  mean 
time,  going  on,  and  Bernard  holding  to  the  hel- 
met with  all  his  force,  it  was  torn  off  from  its 
fastenings,  and  De  Langurant's  head  was  left 
unprotected  and  bare. 


222  KING  EICHARD  II. 

•De  Langurant  refuses  to  surrender.  Ilia  fate. 

Bernard  threw  the  helmet  down  upon  the 
ground  under  his  horse's  feet.  Then  drawing 
his  dagger,  he  raised  it  over  De  Langurant's 
head,  and  called  upon  him  to  surrender. 

"  Surrender !"  said  he.  "  Surrender  this  in- 
stant, or  you  are  a  dead  man." 

The  men  in  ambush  were  coming  on,  and  Be 
Langurant  hoped  they  would  be  able  to  rescue 
him,  so  he  did  not  reply.  Bernard,  knowing 
that  he  had  not  a  moment  to  spare,  drove  the 
dagger  into  De  Langurant's  head,  and  then  gal- 
loped away  back  through  the  gates  into  the 
town,  just  in  time  to  avoid  the  troop  of  horse- 
men from  the  ambush,  who  were  bearing  down 
at  full  speed  toward  the  spot,  and  were  now 
just  at  hand. 

The  gates  of  the  town  were  closed,  .and  the 
drawbridge  was  taken  up  the  moment  that  Ber- 
nard had  entered,  so  that  he  could  not  be  pur- 
sued. The  horsemen,  therefore,  had  nothing  to 
do  but  to  bear  away  their  wounded  commander 
to  the  nearest  castle  which  was  in  their  pos- 
session. The  next  day  he  died. 

While  the  barons  and  knights  were  thus 
amusing  themselves  at  the  beginning  of  Rich- 
ard's reign  with  fighting  for  castles  and  prov- 
inces, either  for  the  pleasure  of  fighting,  or  for 


CHIVALRY.  223 

Intolerable  tyranny  of  the  nobles  in  those  days. 

the  sake  of  the  renown  or  the  plunder  which 
they  acquired  when  they  were  fortunate  enough 
to  gain  the  victory,  the  great  mass  of  the  people 
of  England  were  taxed  and  oppressed  by  their 
haughty  masters  to  an  extent  almost  incredible. 
The  higher  nobles  were  absolutely  above  all 
law.  One  of  them,  who  was  going  to  set  off  on 
a  naval  expedition  into  France,  seized,  in  the 
English  sea-port  which  he  was  leaving,  a  num- 
ber of  women,  the  wives  and  daughters  of  the 
citizens,  and  took  them  on  board  his  ship,  to  be 
at  the  disposal  there  of  himself  and  his  fellow 
grandees.  For  this  intolerable  injury  the  hus- 
bands and  fathers  had  absolutely  no  remedy. 
To  crown  the  wickedness  of  this  deed,  when, 
soon  after  the  fleet  had  left  the  port,  a  storm 
arose,  and  the  women  were  terrified  at  the  dan- 
ger they  were  in,  and  their  fright,  added  to  the 
distress  they  felt  at  being  thus  torn  away  from 
their  families  and  homes,  made  them  complete- 
ly and  uncontrollably  wretched,  the  merciless 
nobles  threw  them  overboard  to  stop  their  cries. 
Taxes  were  assessed,  too,  at  this  time,  upon 
all  the  people  of  the  kingdom,  that  were  of  an 
extremely  onerous  character.  These  taxes  were 
farmed,  as  the  phrase  is ;  that  is,  the  right  to 
collect  them  was  sold  to  contractors,  called  farm- 
ers of  the  revenue,  who  paid  a  certain  sum  out- 


224  KING  RICHARD  II.  [AJX1380. 

Oppression  of  the  tax-gatherers.  Richard's  helplessness. 

right  to  the  government,  and  then  were  entitled 
to  all  that  they  could  collect  of  the  tax.  Thus 
there  was  no  supervision  over  them  in  their  ex- 
actions, for  the  government,  being  already  paid, 
cared  for  nothing  more.  The  consequence  was, 
that  the  tax-gatherers,  who  were  employed  by 
the  contractors,  treated  the  people  in  the  most 
oppressive  and  extortionate  manner.  If  the 
people  made  complaints,  the  government  would 
not  listen  to  them,  for  fear  that  if  they  inter- 
fered with  the  tax-gatherers  in  collecting  the 
taxes,  the  farmers  would  not  pay  so  much  the 
next  time. 

Richard  himself,  of  course,  knew  nothing 
about  all  these  things,  or,  if  he  did  know  of 
them,  he  was  wholly  unable  to  do  any  thing  to 
prevent  them.  He  was  completely  in  the  pow- 
er of  his  uncles,  and  of  the  other  great  nobles 
of  the  time.  The  public  discontent,  however, 
grew  at  last  so  great  that  there  was  nothing 
wanted  but  a  spark  to  cause  it  to  break  out  into 
a  flame.  There  was  such  a  spark  furnished  at 
length  by  an  atrocious  insult  and  injury  offered 
to  a  young  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  tiler,  by  one 
of  the  tax-gatherers.  This  led  to  a  formidable 
insurrection,  known  in  history  as  Wat  Tyler's 
insurrection.  I  shall  relate  the  story  of  this 
insurrection  in  the  next  chapter. 


A.D.138L]  THE  INSURRECTION.         225 

Heal  name  of  Wat  Tyler.  State  of  the  country. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
WAT  TYLER'S  INSURRECTION. 

THE  insurrection  to  which  a  large  portion 
of  the  people  of  England  were  driven  by 
the  cruel  tyranny  and  oppression  which  they 
suffered  in  the  early  part  of  King  Richard's 
reign  is  commonly  called  Wat  Tyler's  insurrec- 
tion, as  if  the  affair  with  Wat  Tyler  were  the 
cause  and  moving  spring  of  it,  whereas  it  was, 
in  fact,  only  an  incident  of  it. 

The  real  name  of  this  unhappy  man  was  John 
Walter.  He  was  a  tiler  by  trade — that  is,  his 
business  was  to  lay  tiles  for  the  roofs  of  houses, 
according  to  the  custom  of  roofing  prevailing 
in  those  days.  So  he  was  called  John  Walter, 
the  Tiler,  or  simply  Walter  the  Tiler;  and 
from  this  his  name  was  abridged  to  Wat  Tyler. 

The  whole  country  was  in  a  state  of  great 
discontent  and  excitement  on  account  of  the 
oppressions  which  the  people  suffered  before 
Walter  appeared  upon  the  stage  at  all.  When 
at  length  the  outbreak  occurred,  he  came  for- 
ward as  one  of  the  chief  leaders  of  it ;  there 

were    however,   several   other  leaders.      The 
8—15 


226  KING  EICHARD  II.  [AD.1381. 

Names  of  Walter's  confederates.  Character  of  these  men. 

names  by  which  the  principal  of  them  were 
known  were  Jack  Straw,  William  Wraw,  Jack 
Shepherd,  John  Milner,  Hob  Carter,  and  John 
Ball.  It  is  supposed  that  many  of  these  names 
were  fictitious,  and  that  the  men  adopted  them 
partly  to  conceal  their  real  names,  and  partly 
because  they  supposed  that  they  should  ingra- 
tiate themselves  more  fully  with  the  lower  class- 
es of  the  people  by  assuming  these  familiar  and 
humble  appellations. 

The  historians  of  the  times  say  that  these 
leaders  were  all  very  bad  men.  They  may  have 
been  so,  though  the  testimony  of  the  historians 
is  not  conclusive  on  this  point,  for  they  belong- 
ed to,  and  wrote  in  the  interest  of  the  upper 
•classes,  their  enemies.  The  poor  insurgents 
themselves  never  had  the  opportunity  to  tell 
their  own  story,  either  in  respect  to  themselves 
or  their  commanders. 

Still,  it  is  highly  probable  that  they  were  bad 
men.  It  is  not  generally  the  amiable,  the  gen- 
tle, and  the  good  that  are  first  to  rise,  and  fore- 
most to  take  the  lead  in  revolts  against  tyrants 
and  oppressors.  It  is,  on  the  other  hand,  far 
more  commonly  the  violent,  the  desperate,  and 
the  bad  that  are  first  goaded  on  to  assume  this 
terrible  responsibility.  It  is,  indeed,  one  of  the 
darkest  features  of  tyranny  that  it  tends,  by  the 


THE  INSURRECTION.  227 

Condition  of  the  lower  classes  at  this  time. 

reaction  which  follows  it,  to  invest  this  class  of 
men  with  great  power,  and  to  commit  the  best 
interests  of  society,  and  the  lives  of  great  num- 
bers of  men,  for  a  time  at  least,  entirely  to  the 
disposal  of  the  most  reckless  and  desperate  char- 
acters. 

The  lower  classes  of  the  people  of  England 
had  been  held  substantially  as  slaves*  by  the 
nobles  and  gentry  for  many  generations.  They 
had  long  submitted  to  this,  hopeless  of  any 
change.  But  they  had  gradually  become  en- 
lightened in  respect  to  their  natural  rights ;  and 
now,  when  the  class  immediately  above  them 
were  so  grievously  oppressed  and  harassed  by 
the  taxes  which  were  assessed  upon  them,  and 
still  more  by  the  vexatious  and  extortionate 
mode  in  which'  the  money  was  collected,  they 
all  began  to  make  common  cause,  and,  when 
the  rebellion  broke  out,  they  rose  in  one  mass, 
freemen  and  bondmen  together. 

There  was  a  certain  priest  named  John  Ball, 
who,  before  the  rebellion  broke  out,  had  done 
much  to  enlighten  the  people  as  to  their  rights, 
and  had  attempted  to  induce  them  to  seek  re- 
dress at  first  in  a  peaceable  manner.  He  used 
to  make  speeches  to  the  people  in  the  market- 
place, representing  to  them  the  hardships  which 
they  endured  by  the  oppressions  of  the  nobility, 


KING  RICHARD  II. 

Ball's  proposal.  Other  orators.  Their  discourses. 

and  urging  them  to  combine  together  to  petition 
the  king  for  a  redress  of  their  grievances.  "  The 
king  will  listen  to  us,  I  am  sure,"  said  he,  '-'if 
we  go  to  him  together  in  a  body  and  make  our 
request ;  but  if  he  will  not  hear  .us,  then  we 
must  redress  our  grievances  ourselves  the  best 
way  we  can." 

The  example  of  Ball  was  followed  by  many 
other  persons;  and,  as  always  happens  in  such 
cases,  the  excitement  among  the  people,  and 
their  eagerness  to  hear,  brought  out  a  great 
many  spectators,  whose  only  object  was  to  see 
who  could  awaken  the  resentment  and  "anger 
of  their  audiences  in  the  highest  degree,  aud 
produce  the  greatest  possible  excitement.  These 
orators,  having  begun  with  condemning  the  ex- 
travagant wealth,  the  haughty  pretensions,  and 
the  cruel  oppressions  of  the  nobles,  and  con- 
trasting them  with  the  extreme  misery  and 
want  of  the  common  people,  whom  they  held 
as  slaves,  proceeded  at  length  to  denounce  all 
inequalities  in  human  condition,  and  to  demand 
that  all  things  should  be  held  in  common. 

"  Things  will  never  go  on  well  in  England," 
said  they,  "  until  all  these  distinctions  shall  be 
leveled,  and  the  time  shall  come  when  there 
shall  be  neither  vassal  nor  lord,  and  these  proud 
nobles  shall  be  no  more  masters  than  ourselves. 


THE  INSURRECTION.  229 

Mixture  of  truth  and  error  in  their  complaints. 

How  ill  have  they  used  us !  And  what  right 
have  they  to  hold  us  in  this  miserable  bondage? 
Are  we  not  all  descended  from  the  same  parents, 
Adam  and  Eve  ?  What  right  have  one  set  of 
men  to  make  another  set  their  slaves  ?  What 
right  have  they  to  compel  us  to  toil  all  our  lives 
to  earn  money,  that  they  may  live  at  ease  and 
spend  it  ?  They  are  clothed  in  velvets  and  rich 
stuffs,  ornamented  with  ermine  and  furs',  while 
we  are  half  naked,  or  clothed  only  in  rags. 
They  have  wines,  and  spices,  and  fine  bread, 
while  we  have  nothing  but  rye,  and  the  refuse 
of  the  straw.  They  have  manors  and  hand- 
some seats,  while  we  live  in  miserable  cabins, 
and  have  to  brave  the  wind  and  rain  at  our  la- 
bor in  the  fields,  in  order  that,  with  the  pro- 
ceeds of  our  toil,  they  may  support  their  pomp 
and  luxury.  And  if  we  do  not  perform  our 
services,  or  if  they  unjustly  think  that  we  do 
not,  we  are  beaten,  and  there  is  no  one  to  whom 
we  can  complain  or  look  for  justice." 

There  is  obviously  some  truth  and  some  ex- 
travagance in  these  complaints.  Men  deprived 
of  their  rights,  as  these  poor  English  serfs  were, 
and  goaded  by  the  oppressions  which  they  suf- 
fered almost  to  despair,  will,  of  course,  be  ex- 
travagant in  their  complaints.  None  but  those 
totally  ignorant  of  human  nature  would  expect 


230  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Necessary  inequality  among  men. 

men  to  be  moderate  and  reasonable  when  in 
such  a  condition,  and  in  such  a  state  of  mind. 

The  truth  is,  that  there  always  has  been,  and 
there  always  will  necessarily  be,  a  great  ine- 
quality in  the  conditions,  and  a  great  differ- 
ence in  the  employments  of  men ;  but  this  fact 
awakens  no  dissatisfaction  or  discontent  when 
those  who  have  the  lower  stations  of  life  to  fill 
are  treated  as  they  ought  to  be  treated.  If  they 
enjoy  personal  liberty,  and  are  paid  the  fair 
wages  which  they  earn  by  their  labor,  and  are 
treated  with  kindness  and  consideration  by 
those  whose  duties  are  of  a  higher  and  more 
intellectual  character,  and  whose  position  in  life 
is  superior  to  theirs,  they  are,  almost  without 
exception,  satisfied  and  happy.  It  is  only  when 
they  are  urged  and  driven  hard  and  long  by 
unfeeling  oppression  that  they  are  ever  aroused 
to  rebellion  against  the  order  of  the  social  state ; 
and  then,  as  might  be  expected,  they  go  to  ex- 
tremes, and,  if  they  get  the  power  into  their 
hands,  they  sweep  every  thing  away,  and  over- 
whelm themselves  and  their  superiors  in  one 
common  destruction. 

Young  persons  sometimes  imagine  that  the 
American  doctrine  of  the  equality  of  man  re- 
fers to  equality  of  condition ;  and  even  grown 
persons,  who  ought  to  think  more  clearly  and 


THE  INSURRECTION.  231 

The  true  doctrine  of  equality.  Origin  of  Wat  Tyler's  insurrection. 

be  more  reasonable,  sometimes  refer  to  the  dis- 
tinctions of  rich  and  poor  in  this  country  as 
falsifying  our  political  theories.  But  the  truth 
is,  that,  in  our  political  theory  of  equality,  it  is 
not  at  all  equality  of  condition,  but  equality  of 
rights,  that  is  claimed  for  man.  All  men — the 
doctrine  is  simply — have  an  equal  right  to  lifeT 
liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  Even 
when  all  are  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  their 
rights,  different  men  will,  of  course,  attain  to 
very  different  degrees  of  advancement  in  the 
objects  of  their  desire.  Some  will  be  rich  and 
some  will  be  poor ;  some  will  be  servants  and 
some  masters ;  some  will  be  the  employers  and 
some  the  employed ;  but,  so  long  as  all  are  equal 
in  respect  to  their  rights,  none  will  complain — or, 
at  least,  no  classes  will  complain.  There  will, 
of  course,  be  here  and  there  disappointed  and 
discontented  individuals,  but  their  discontent 
will  not  spread.  It  is  only  by  the  long-contin- 
ued and  oppressive  infringement  of  the  natural 
rights  of  large  masses  of  men  that  the  way  is 
prepared  for  revolts  and  insurrections. 

It  was  by  this  process  that  the  way  was  pre- 
pared for  the  insurrection  which  I  am  now  to 
describe.  The  whole  country  for  fifty  miles 
about  London  was  in  a  very  sullen  and  angry- 
mood,  ready  for  an  outbreak  the  moment  that 


232  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1381. 

.       The  tax-gatherer  in  Walter's  family. 

any  incident  should  occur  to  put  the  excitement 
in  motion.  This  incident  was  furnished  bj  an 
occurrence  which  took  place  in  the  family  of 
Walter  the  Tiler. 

It  seems  that  a  personal  tax  had  been  levied 
by  the  government,  the  amount  of  which  varied 
with  the  age  of  the  individual  assessed.  Chil- 
dren paid  so  much.  Young  men  and  young 
women  paid  more.  The  line  between  these 
classes  was  not  clearly  denned,  or,  rather,  the 
tax-gatherers  had  no  means  of  determining  the 
ages  of  the  young  people  in  a  family,  if  they 
suspected  the  parents  reported  them  wrong.  In 
such  cases  they  were  often  very  insolent  and 
rude,  and  a  great  many  quarrels  took  place,  by 
which  the  people  were  often  very  much  in- 
censed. The  tax-gatherer  came  one  day  into 
Walter's  house  to  collect  the  tax.  Walter  him- 
self was  away,  engaged  at  work  tiling  a  house 
near  by.  The  only  persons  that  were  at  home 
were  his  wife  and  a.  young  daughter  just  grow- 
ing to  womanhood.  The  tax-gatherer  said  that 
the  girl  was  full-grown,  and  that  they  must  pay 
the  higher  tax  for  her.  Her  mother  said,  "No, 
she  is  not  full-grown  yet ;  she  is  only  a  child." 
The  tax-gatherer  then  said  he  would  soon  find 
out  whether  she  was  a  woman  or  not,  and  went 
to  her  to  take  hold  of  her,  offering  her  rudeness 


A.D.1381.]  THE  INSURRECTION.         233 

Intolerable  outrage.  The  tax-gatherer  killed. 

and  violence  of  the  worst  possible  character. 
The  poor  girl  screamed  and  struggled  to  get 
away  from  him.  Her  mother  ran  to  the  door, 
and  made  a  great  outcry,  calling  for  help.  Wal- 
ter, hearing  the  cries,  seized  for  a  club  a  heavy 
implement  which  he  used  in  tiling,  and  ran 
home.  As  soon  as  he  entered  the  house,  he 
demanded  of  the  officer,  who  had  now  left  his 
daughter  and  came  forward  to  meet  him,  what 
he  meant  by  conducting  in  so  outrageous  a  man- 
ner in  his  house.  The  officer  replied  defiantly, 
and  advanced  toward  Walter  to  strike  him. 
Walter  parried  the  stroke,  and  then,  being 
roused  to  perfect  phrensy  by  the  insult  which 
his  daughter  had  received  and  the  insolence  of 
the  tax-gatherer,  he  brought  his  club  down  upon 
the  tax-gatherer's  head  with  such  a  blow  as  to 
break  his  skull  and  kill  him  on  the  spot.  The 
blow  was  so  violent  that  the  man's  brains  were 
scattered  all  about  the  floor. 

The  news  of  this  occurrence  spread  like  wild- 
fire through  the  town.  The  people  all  took 
Walter's  part,  and  they  began  to  assemble.  It 
seems  tha,t  a  great  many  of  them  had  had  their 
daughters  maltreated  in  the  same  way  by  the 
tax-gatherers,  but  had  not  dared  to  resist  or  to 
complain.  They  now,  however,  flocked  around 
the  house  of  Walter,  and  promised  to  stand  by 


234  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Plan  of  the  insurgents  to  march  to  London. 

him  to  the  end.  The  plan  was  proposed  that 
they  should  march  to  London,  and  in  a  body 
appeal  to  the  king,  and  call  upon  him  to  re- 
dress their  wrongs. 

"  He  is  young,"  said  they,  "  and  he  will  have 
pity  upon  us,  and  be  just  to  us.  Let  us  go  in 
a  body  and  petition  him." 

The  news  of  the  movement  spread  to  all  the 
neighboring  towns,  and  very  soon  afterward  a 
vast  concourse  collected,  and  commenced  their 
march  toward  London.  They  were  joined  on 
the  road  by  large  companies  that  came  from 
the  villages  and  towns  on  the  way,  until  at 
length  Walter  and  his  fellow-leaders  found 
themselves  at  the  head  of  from  sixty  to  one 
hundred  thousand  men. 

The  whole  country  was,  of  course,  thrown 
into  a  state  of  great  alarm.  The  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster, who  was  particularly  obnqxious  to  the 
people,  was  absent  at  this  time.  He  was  on  the 
frontiers  of  Scotland.  The  king  was  in  his  pal- 
ace ;  but,  on  hearing  tidings  of  the  insurrection, 
he  went  to  the  Tower,  which  is  a  strong  cas- 
tle built  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  in  the  low- 
er part  of  London.  A  number  of  the  nobles 
who  had  most  cause  to  fear  the  mob  went  with 
him,  and  shut  themselves  up  there.  The  Prin-. 
cess  of  Wales,  Richard's  mother,  happened  to 


VIEW   OF  T11K  TOWER   OF   LONDON,   AS   SEEN   FROM   THE   RIVKR. 


THE  INSURRECTION.  237 

Re-enforcements  by  the  way.  Oaths  administered. 

be  at  Canterbury  at  the  time,  having  gone  there 
on  a  pilgrimage.  She  immediately  set  out  on 
her  return  to  London,  but  she  was  intercepted 
on  the  way  by  Tyler  and  his  crowd  of  follow- 
ers. The  crowd  gathered  around  the  carriage, 
and  frightened  the  princess  very  much  indeed, 
but  they  did  her  no  harm.  After  detaining 
her  for  some  tune,  they  let  her  pass  on.  She 
immediately  made  the  best  of  her  way  to  the 
Tower,  where  she  joined  her  son. 

As  fast  as  companies  of  men  came  from  the 
villages  and  towns  along  the  road  to  join  the 
insurgents,  the  leaders  administered  to  them  an 
oath.  The  oath  bound  them, 

1.  Always  to  be  faithful  and  true  to  King 
Richard. 

2.  Never  to  submit  to  the  reign  of  any  king 
named  John.     This  was  aimed  at  the  Duke  of 
Lancaster,  whose  name  was  John,  and  whom 
they  all  specially  hated. 

3.  Always  to  follow  and  defend  their  lead- 
ers whenever  called  upon  to  do  so,  and  always 
to  be  ready  to  march  themselves,  and  to  bring 
their  neighbors  with  them,  at  a  moment's  warn- 
ing. 

4.  To  demand  the  abrogation  of  all  the  ob- 
noxious taxes,  and  never  to  submit  again  to  the 
collection  of  them. 


238  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  Case  of  Sir  John  Newton. 

In  this  manner  the  throngs  moved  on  along 
the  roads  leading  to  London.  They  became 
gradually  more  and  more  excited  and  violent 
as  they  proceeded.  Soon  they  began  to  attack 
the  houses  of  knights,  and  nobles,  and  officers 
of  the  government  which  they  passed  on  the 
way  ;  and  many  persons,  whom  they  supposed 
to  be  their  enemies,  they  killed.  At  Canter- 
bury they  pillaged  the  palace  of  the  archbishop. 
The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  then  as  now, 
drew  an  immense  revenue  from  the  state,  and 
lived  in  great  splendor,  and  they  justly  con- 
ceived that  the  luxury  and  ostentation  in  which 
he  indulged  was  in  some  degree  the  cause  of 
the  oppressive  taxation  that  they  endured. 

They  assaulted  a  castle  on  the  way,  and  made 
prisoner  of  a  certain  knight  named  Sir  John 
Newton,  whom  they  found  in  it,  and  compelled 
him  to  go  with  them  to  London.  The  knight 
was  very  unwilling  to  go  with  them,  and  at  first 
seemed  determined  not  to  do  so ;  but  they  dis- 
posed of  his  objections  in  a  very  summary 
manner. 

"  Sir  John,"  said  they,  "  unless  you  go  with 
us  at  once,  and  in  every  thing  do  exactly  as  we 
order  you,  you  are  a  dead  man." 

So  Sir  John  was  compelled  to  go.  They  took 
two  of  his  children  with  them  also,  to  hold  as 


A.D.1381.]  THE  INSURRECTION.         239 

Sir  John  Newton  ia  sent  as  an  embassador  to  the  king. 

security,  they  said,  for  their  father's  good  be- 
havior. 

There  were  other  parties  of  the  insurgents 
who  made  prisoners  in  this  way  of  men  of  rank 
and  family,  and  compelled  them  to  ride  at  the 
head  of  their  respective  columns,  as  if  they  were 
leaders  in  the  insurrection. 

In  this  manner  the  throngs  moved  on,  until 
at  length,  approaching  the  Thames,  they  arrived 
at  Blackheath  and  Greenwich,  two  villages  be- 
low London,  farther  down  than  the  Tower,  and 
near  the  bank  of  the  river.  Here  they  halted, 
and  determined  to  send  an  embassage  to  the 
king  to  demand  an  audience.  The  embassador 
that  they  were  to  send  was  the  knight,  Sir  John 
Newton. 

Sir  John  did  not  dare  to  do  otherwise  than 
as  the  insurgents  directed.  He  went  to  the  riv- 
er, and,  taking  a  boat,  he  crossed  over  to  the 
Tower.  The  guards  received  him  at  the  gate, 
and  he  was  conducted  into  the  presence  of  the 
king. 

He  found  the  king  in  an  apartment  with  the 
princess  his  mother,  and  with  a  number  of  the 
nobles  and  officers  of  his  court.  They  were  all 
in  a  state  of  great  suspense  and  anxiety,  await- 
ing tidings.  They  knew  that  the  whole  coun- 
try was  in  commotion,  but  in  respect  to  what 


240  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1381. 

Interview  between  Sir  John  and  the  king  at  the  Tower. 

they  were  themselves  to  do  in  the  emergency 
they  seem  to  have  had  no  idea. 

Sir  John  was  himself  one  of  the  officers  of 
the  government,  and  so  he  was  well  known  to 
all  the  courtiers.  He  fell  on  his  knees  as  soon 
as  he  entered  the  king's  presence,  and  begged 
his  majesty  not  to  be  displeased  with  him  for 
the  message  that  he  was  about  to  deliver. 

"  I  assure  your  majesty,"  said  he,  "  that  I 
come  not  voluntarily,  but  on  compulsion." 

The  king  said  to  him  that  he  had  nothing  to 
fear,  and  directed  him  to  proceed  at  once  and 
deliver  his  message. 

The  knight  then  said  that  the  people  who 
had  assembled  wished  to  see  the  king,  and  he 
urgently  requested  that  his  majesty  would  come 
and  meet  them  at  Blackheath. 

"  They  wish  you  to  come  by  yourself  alone," 
said  he.  "  And  your  majesty  need  have  no  fear 
for  your  person,  for  they  will  not  do  you  the 
least  harm.  They  have  always  respected  you, 
and  they  will  continue  to  respect  and  honor 
you  as  their  king.  They  only  wish  to  tell  you 
some  things  which  they  say  it  is  very  necessary 
that  your  majesty  should  hear.  They  have  not 
informed  me  what  it  is  that  they  wish  to  say, 
since  they  desire  to  communicate  it  themselves 
directly  to  your  majesty." 


THE  INSURRECTION.  241 

Sir  John  returns  to  the  insurgents. 

The  knight  concluded  by  imploring  the  king 
to  grant  his  subjects  a  favorable  answer  if  he 
could,  or  at  least  to  allow  him  to  return  to  them 
with  such  a  reply  as  would  convince  them  that 
he,  their  messenger,  had  fairly  delivered  his 
message. 

"Because,"  said  he,  "they  hold  my  children 
as  hostages,  and  unless  I  return  they  will  surely 
put  them  to  death." 

The  king  replied  that  the  knight  should  have 
an  answer  very  soon,  and  he  immediately  called 
a  council  of  his  courtiers  to  consider  what  should 
be  done.  There  was  much  difference  of  opin- 
ion, but  it  was  finally  concluded  to  send  word 
to  the  men  that  the  king  would  come  down  the 
river  on  the  following  day  to  speak  with  them, 
and  that,  if  the  leaders  would  come  to  the  bank 
of  the  river  opposite  Blackheath,  he  would  meet 
them  there. 

So  Sir  John  Newton  left  the  Tower,  and,  re- 
crossing  the  river  in  his  boat,  went  back  to 
the  camp  of  the  insurgents,  and  reported  to  the 
leaders  the  answer  of  the  king. 

They  were  very  much  pleased  to  hear  that 
the  king  was  coming  to  meet  them.  The  news 
was  soon  communicated  to  all  the  host,  and  it 
gave  universal  satisfaction.  There  were  sixty 
thousand  men  on  the  ground,  it  is  said,  nnd,  of 
8—16 


242  KING  KICHARD  II. 

The  king  goes  down  to  meet  the  insurgents. 

course,  they  were  very  insufficiently  provided 
with  food,  and  not  at  all  with  shelter.  They, 
however,  began  to  make  arrangements  to  spend 
the  night  as  well  as  they  could  where  they  were, 
in  anticipation  of  the  interview  with  the  king 
on  the  following  day. 

On  the  following  morning  the  king  attended 
mass  in  solemn  state  in  the  chapel  of  the  Tow- 
er, and  then  immediately  afterward  entered  his 
barge,  accompanied  by  a  grand  train  of  officers, 
knights,  and  barons.  The  barge,  leaving  the 
Tower  stairs,  was  rowed  down  the  river  to  the 
place  appointed  for  the  interview.  About  ten 
thousand  of  the  insurgents  had  come  to  the  spot, 
and  when  they  saw  the  barge  coming  in  sight 
with  the  royal  party  on  board,  they  burst  out 
into  such  a  terrific  uproar,  with  yells,  screams, 
shouts,  outcries,  and  frantic  gesticulations,  that 
they  seemed  to  the  king  and  his  party  like  a 
company  of  demons.  They  had  Sir  John  New- 
ton with  them.  They  had  brought  him  down 
to  the  bank  of  the  river,  because,  as  they  said, 
if  the  king  were  not  to  come,  they  should  be- 
lieve that  he  had  imposed  upon  them  in  the 
message  which  he  had  brought,  and  in  that 
case  they  were  going  to  cut  him  to  pieces  on 
the  spot. 

The  assembly  seemed  so  noisy  and  furious 


THE  INSURRECTION.  243- 

Scene  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

that  the  nobles  in  attendance  on  the  king  were 
afraid  to  allow  him  to  land.  They  advised  him 
to  remain  in  the  barge,  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  shore,  and  to  address  the  people  from  the 
deck.  The  king  resolved  to  do  so.  So  the 
barge  lay  floating  on  the  river,  the  oarsmen 
taking  a  few  strokes  from  time  to  time  to  re- 
cover the  ground  lost  by  the  drift  of  the  cur- 
rent. The  king  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the 
barge,  with  his  officers  around  him,  and  asked 
the  men  on  the  shore  what  they  wished  for. 

"I  have  come  at  your  request,"  said  he,  "to 
hear  what  you  have  to  say."* 

Such  an  arrangement  as  this  for  communi- 
cating with  a  mass  of  desperate  and  furious 
men  would  not  have  been  safe  under  circum. 
stances  similar  to  those  of  the  present  day.  A 
man  standing  in  this  way  on  the  deck  of  a  boat, 
within  speaking  distance  of  the  shore,  mightr 
with  a  rifle,  or  even  with  a  musket,  have  been 
killed  in  a  moment  by  any  one  of  the  thou- 
sands on  the  shore.  In  those  days,  however, 
when  the  only  missiles  were  spears,  javelins, 
and  arrows,  a  man  might  stand  at  his  ease  with- 
in speaking  distance  of  his  enemies,  entirely  out 
of  reach  of  their  weapons. 

When  the  crowd  upon  the  shore  saw  that 
*  See  Frontispiece. 


244  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1381. 

Parley  with  the  insurgents.  The  king  retires. 

the  king  was  waving  his  hand  to  them  in  or- 
der to  silence  them,  and  that  he  was  trying  to 
speak,  they  became  in  some  measure  calm; 
and  when  he  asked  again  what  they  wished 
for,  the  leaders  replied  by  saying  that  they 
wished  him  to  come  on  shore.  They  desired 
him  to  land,  they  said,  so  that  he  could  better 
hear  what  they  had  to  say. 

One  of  the  officers  about  the  king  replied 
that  that  could  not  be. 

"  The  king  can  not  land  among  you,"  he 
said.  "  You  are  not  properly  dressed,  nor  in  a 
fit  condition,  in  any  respect,  to  come  into  his 
majesty's  presence." 

Hereupon  the  noise  and  clamor  was  renew- 
ed, and  became  more  violent  than  ever,  the  men 
insisting  that  the  king  should  land,  and  filling 
the  air  with  screams,  yells,  and  vociferations  of 
all  sorts,  which  made  the  scene  truly  terrific. 
The  counselors  of  the  king  insisted  that  it  was 
not  safe  for  the  king  to  remain  any  longer  on 
the  river,  so  the  oarsmen  were  ordered  to  pull 
their  oars,  and  the  barge  immediately  began  to 
recede  from  the  shore,  and  to  move  back  up 
the  river.  It  happened  that  the  tide  was  now 
coming  in,  and  this  assisted  them  very  much  in 
their  progress,  and  the  barge  was  swept  back 
rapidly  toward  the  Tower. 


A.D.  1381.]  THE  INSURRECTION.         245 

The  insurgents  resolve  to  go  into  London. 

The  insurgents  were  now  in  a  great  rage. 
Those  who  had  come  down  to  the  bank  of  the 
river  to  meet  the  king  went  back  in  a  throng 
to  the  place  where  the  great  body  of  the  rebels 
were  encamped  on  the  plain.  The  news  that 
the  king  had  refused  to  come  and  hear  their 
complaints  was  soon  spread  among  the  whole 
multitude,  and  the  cry  was  raised,  To  LONDON  ! 
To  LONDON  !  So  the  whole  mighty  mass  be- 
gan to  put  itself  in  motion,  and  in  a  few  hours 
all  the  roads  that  led  toward  the  metropolis 
were  thronged  with  vast  crowds  of  ragged  and 
wretched-looking  men,  barefooted,  bareheaded; 
some  bearing  rudely-made  flags  and  banners, 
some  armed  with  clubs  and  poles,  and  such  oth- 
er substitutes  for  weapons  as  they  had  been  able 
to  seize  for  the  occasion,  and  all  in  a  state  of 
wild  and  phrensied  excitement. 

The  people  of  London  were  greatly  alarmed 
when  they  heard  that  they  were  coming.  There 
was  then  but  one  bridge  leading  into  London 
from  the  southern  side  of  the  river.  This  bridge 
was  on  the  site  of  the  present  London  Bridge, 
about  half  a  mile  above  the  Tower.  There  was 
a  gate  at  the  end  of  the  bridge  next  the  town, 
and  a  drawbridge  outside  of  it.  The  London- 
ers shut  the  gate  and  took  up  the  drawbridge, 
to  prevent  the  insurgents  from  coming  in. 


246  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  bridge.  Excitement  in  the  city.  The  gates  opened. 

When  the  rioters  reached  the  'bridge,  and 
found  that  they  were  shut  out,  they,  of  course, 
became  more  violent  than  before,  and  they  be- 
gan to  burn  and  destroy  the  houses  outside. 
Now  it  happened  that  many  of  these  houses 
were  handsome  villas  which  belonged  to  the 
rich  citizens  of  the  town.  These  citizens  be- 
came alarmed  for  their  property,  and  they  be- 
gan to  say  that  it  would  be  better,  after  all,  to 
open  the  gates  and  let  the  people  come  in. 

"  If  we  let  them  come  in,"  said  they,  "  they 
will  wander  about  the  streets  a  while,  but  they 
will  soon  get  tired  and  go  away ;  whereas,  by 
opposing  and  thwarting  them,  we  only  make 
them  the  more  violent  and  mischievous." 

Then,  besides,  there  were  a  great  many  of  the 
common  people  of  London  that  sympathized 
with  the  rioters,  and  wished  to  join  them. 

"  They  are  our  friends,"  said  they.  "  They 
are  striving  to  obtain  redress  for  grievances 
which  we  suffer  as  well  as  they.  Their  cause 
is  our  cause.  So  let  us  open  the  gates  and  let 
them  come  in." 

In  the  mean  time,  the  whole  population  of 
the  city  were  becoming  more  and  more  alarm- 
ed  every  hour,  for  the  rioters  were  burning  and 
destroying  the  suburbs,  and  they  declared  that 
if  the  Londoners  did  not  open  the  gates,  they 


THE  INSURRECTION.  249 

The  insurgents  occupy  the  streets  of  London. 

would,  after  ravaging  every  thing  without  the 
walls,  take  the  city  by  storm,  and  burn  and  de- 
stroy every  thing  in  it.  So  it  was  finally  con- 
cluded to  open  the  gates  and  let  the  insurgents  in. 
They  came  in  in  an  immense  throng,  which 
continued  for  many  hours  to  pour  over  the 
bridge  into  the  city,  like  a  river  of  men  above, 
flowing  athwart  the  river  of  water  below.  As 
they  entered  the  city,  they  divided  and  spread 
into  all  the  diverging  streets.  A  portion  of 
them  stormed  a  jail,  and  set  all  the  prisoners 
free.  Others  marched  through  the  streets,  fill- 
ing the  air  with  dreadful  shouts  and  outcries, 
and  brandishing  their  pikes  with  great  fury. 
The  citizens,  in  hopes  to  conciliate  them,  brought 
out  food  for  them,  .and  some  gave  them  wine. 
On  receiving  these  provisions,  the  insurgents 
built  fires  in  the  streets,  and  encamped  around 
them,  to  partake  of  the  food  and  refreshments 
which  the  citizens  had  bestowed.  They  were 
rendered  more  good-natured,  perhaps,  by  this 
kind  treatment  received  from  the  citizens,  but 
they  soon  became  excited  by  the  wine  which 
they  drank,  and  grew  more  wild  and  noisy  than 
ever.  At  length  a  large  party  of  them  began  to 
move  toward  the  palace  of  the  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster. This  palace  was  called  the  Savoy.  It 
stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  between  Lon- 


250  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Destruction  of  the  Duke  of  Lancaster's  palace. 

don  and  Westminster,  and  was  a  grand  and  im- 
posing mansion. 

The  Duke  of  Lancaster  was  an  especial  ob- 
ject of  their  hatred.  He  was  absent  at  this 
time,  as  has  been  said,  being  engaged  in  milita- 
ry operations  on  the  frontiers  of  Scotland.  The 
mob,  however,  were  determined  to  destroy  his 
palace,  and  every  thing  that  belonged  to  it. 

So  they  broke  into  the  house,  murdering  all 
who  made  any  resistance,  and  then  proceeded 
to  break  and  destroy  every  thing  the  palace 
contained.  They  built  fires  in  the  court-yard 
and  in  the  street,  and  piled  upon  them  every 
thing  movable  that  would  burn.  The  plater 
and  other  such  valuables  as  would  not  burn, 
they  broke  up  and  threw  into  the  Thames. 
They  strictly  forbade  that  any  of  the  property 
should  be  taken  away.  One  man  hid  a  silver 
cup  in  his  bosom,  intending  to  purloin  it;  but  he 
was  detected  in  the  act,  and  his  comrades  threw 
him,  cup  and  all,  as  some  say,  upon  the  fire ; 
others  say  they  threw  him  into  the  Thames; 
at  any  rate,  they  destroyed  him  and  his  booty 
together. 

"We  are  here,"  said  they,  "in  the  cause  of 
truth  and  righteousness,  to  execute  judgment 
upon  a  criminal,  and  not  to  become  thieves  and 
robbers  ourselves." 


A.D.1381.]  THE  INSURRECTION.         253 

Destruction  of  the  Temple.  Assassination  of  Richard  Lyon. 

When  they  had  destroyed  every  thing  that 
the  palace  contained,  they  set  fire  to  the  build- 
ing, and  burned  it  to  the  ground.  A  portion 
of  the  walls  remained  standing  afterward  for  a 
long  time,  a  desolate  and  melancholy  ruin. 

The  insurgents  felt  a  special  animosity  against 
lawyers,  whom  they  considered  mercenary  in- 
struments in  the  hands  of  the  nobles  for  op- 
pressing them.  They  hung  all  the  lawyers  that 
they  could  get  into  their  hands,  and  after  burn- 
ing the  Savoy  they  went  to  the  Temple,  which 
was  a  spacious  edifice  containing  the  courts, 
the  chambers  of  the  barristers,  and  a  vast  store 
of  ancient  legal  records.  They  burned  and  de* 
stroyed  the  whole. 

It  is  said,  too,  that  there  was  a  certain  man 
in  London,  a  rich  citizen,  named  Eichard  Lyon, 
who  had  formerly  been  Walter  the  Tiler's  mas- 
ter, and  had  beaten  him  and  otherwise  treated 
him  in  a  cruel  and  oppressive  manner.  At  the 
time  that  he  received  these  injuries  Walter  had 
no  redress,  but  now  the  opportunity  had  come, 
he  thought,  for  revenge.  So  he  led  a  gang  of 
the  most  desperate  and  reckless  of  the  insur- 
gents to  Lyon's  house,  and,  seizing  their  terri- 
fied victim,  they  dragged  him  out  without  mer- 
cy, and  cut  off  his  head.  The  head  they  stuck 
upon  the  top  of  a  pike,  and  paraded  it  through 


254  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Excesses  of  the  mob.  They  bivouac  near  the  '1  ower. 

the  streets,  a  warning,  as  they  said,  to  all  cruel 
and  oppressive  masters. 

A  great  many  other  heads,  principally  those 
of  men  who  had  made  themselves  particularly 
obnoxious  to  the  insurgents,  were'  paraded 
through  the  streets  in  the  same  manner. 

After  spending  the  day  in  these  excesses, 
keeping  all  London  in  a  state  of  dreadful  con- 
fusion and  alarm,  the  various  bands  began  to 
move  toward  night  in  the  direction  of  the  Tow- 
er, where  the  king  and  his  court  had  shut  them- 
selves up  in  great  terror,  not  knowing  what  to 
do  to  escape  from  the  dreadful  inundation  of 
poverty  and  misery  which  had  so  suddenly 
poured  in  upon  them.  The  rioters,  when  they 
reached  the  Tower,  took  possession,  of  a  large 
open  square  before  it,  and,  kindling  up  great 
bonfires,  they  began  to  make  arrangements  for 
bivouacking  there  for  the  night. 


A.D.1381.]  INSURRECTION  ENDED.    255 

Anxiety  and  embarrassment  of  the  king. 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  END  OF  THE  INSURRECTION. 

IN  the  mean  time,  within  the  Tower,  where 
.  the  king  and  his  courtiers  now  found  them- 
selves almost  in  a  state  of  siege,  there  were  con- 
tinual consultations  held,  and  much  perplexity 
and  alarm  prevailed.  Some  of  Richard's  ad- 
visers recommended  that  the  most  decisive 
measures  should  be  adopted  at  once.  The  king 
had  in  the  Tower  with  him  a  considerable  body 
of  armed  men.  There  were  also  in  other  parts 
of  London  and  vicinity  many  more,  amounting 
in  all  to  about  four  thousand.  It  was  recom- 
mended by  some  of  the  king's  counselors  that 
these  men  should  all  be  ordered  to  attack  the 
insurgents  the  next  morning,  and  kill  them 
without  mercy.  It  is  true  that  there  were  be- 
tween fifty  and  one  hundred  thousand  of  the 
insurgents;  but  they  had  no  arms,  and  no  or- 
ganization, and  it  was  not  to  be  expected,  there- 
fore, that  they  could  stand  a  moment,  numerous 
as  they  were,  against  the  king's  regular  troops. 
They  would  be  slaughtered,  it  was  said,  like 
sheep,  and  the  insurrection  would  be  at  once 
put  down. 


256  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Consultations  in  the  Tower.  Various  counsels.  Mile-End. 

Others  thought  that  this  would  be  a  very 
hazardous  mode  of  proceeding,  and  very  uncer- 
tain as  to  its  results. 

"  It  is  much  better,"  said  they,  "  that  your 
majesty  should  appease  them,  if  possible,  by  fair 
words,  and  by  a  show  of  granting  what  they 
ask ;  for  if  we  once  attempt  to  put  them  down 
by  force,  and  should  not  be  able  to  go  through 
with  it,  we  shall  only  make  matters  a  great  deal 
worse.  The  commonalty  of  London  and  of  all 
England  would  then  join  them,  and  the  nobles 
and  the  government  will  be  swept  away  entire- 
ly from  the  land." 

These  counsels  prevailed.  It  was  decided 
not  to  attack  the  rioters  immediately,  but  to 
wait  a  little,  and  see  what  turn  things  would 
take. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  the  insurgents 
were  in  motion  in  the  great  square,  they  began 
to  be  very  turbulent  and  noisy,  and  to  threaten 
that  they  would  attack  the  Tower  itself  if  the 
king  did  not  open  the  gates  to  them.  It  was 
finally  determined  to  yield  in  part  to  their  re- 
quests. 

There  was  a  certain  place  in  the  suburbs  of 
London  known  by  the  name  of  Mile-End — so 
called,  perhaps,  because  it  was  at  the  end  of  a 
mile  from  some  place  or  other.  At  this  place 


INSURRECTION  ENDED.         257 

A  meeting  appointed  with  the  rioters  at  Mile-End. 

was  an  extended  meadow,  to  which  the  people 
of  London  were  accustomed  to  resort  on  gala 
days  for  parades  and  public  amusements.  The 
king  sent  out  a  messenger  from  the  Tower  to 
the  leaders  of  the  insurgents  with  directions  to 
say  to  them  that  if  they  would  all  go  to  Mile- 
End,  he  would  come  out  and  meet  them  there. 

They  took  him  at  his  word,  and  the  whole 
immense  mass  began  to  set  itself  in  motion  to- 
ward Mile-End. 

They  did  not  all  go  there,  however.  Those 
who  really  desired  to  have  an  interview  with 
the  king,  with  a  view  to  a  redress  of  their  griev- 
ances, repaired  to  the  appointed  place  of  ren- 
dezvous. But  of  the  rest,  a  large  party  turned 
toward  London,  in  hopes  of  pillage  and  plun- 
der. Others  remained  near  the  Tower.  This 
last  party,  as  soon  as  the  king  and  his  attend- 
ants had  gone  to  Mile-End,  succeeded  in  forcing 
their  way  in  through  the  gates,  which,  it  seems, 
had  not  been  left  properly  guarded,  and  thus 
gained  possession  of  the  Tower.  They  ransack- 
ed the  various  apartments,  and  destroyed  every 
thing  which  came  in  their  way  that  was  at  all 
obnoxious  to  them.  They  broke  into  the  cham- 
ber of  the  Princess  of  Wales,  Eichard's  mother, 
and,  though  they  did  not  do  the  princess  any 
personal  injury,  they  terrified  her  so  much  by 
8—17 


1558  KING  KICHARD  II. 

The  king  meets  the  insurgents  at  Mile-End. 

their  violence  and  noise  that  she  fainted,  and 
was  borne  away  apparently  lifeless.  Her  at- 
tendants carried  her  down,  the  landing-stairs  on 
the  river  side,  and  there  put  her  into  a  covered 
boat,  and  rowed  her  away  to  a  place  of  safety. 

The  people  in  the  Tower  did  not  all  get  off 
so  easily.  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  was 
there,  and  three  other  prelates  of  high  rank. 
These  men  were  particularly  obnoxious  to  the 
rioters,  so  they  seized  them,  and  without  any 
mercy  dragged  them  into  the  court  and  cut  off 
their  heads.  The  heads  they  put  upon  the  ends 
of  poles,  and  paraded  them  in  this  way  through 
the  streets  of  London. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  king,  followed  by  a 
numerous  train  of  attendants,  had  proceeded  to 
Mile-End,  and  there  met  the  insurgents,  who  had 
.assembled  in  a  vast  concourse  to  receive  him. 
Several  of  the  attendants  of  the  king  were  afraid 
to  follow  him  into  the  danger  to  which  they 
thought  he  was  exposing  himself  by  going 
among  such  an  immense  number  of  lawless  and 
•desperate  men.  Some  of  them  deserted  him  on 
the  way  to  the  place  of  meeting,  and  rode  off 
in  different  directions  to  places  of  safety.  The 
king  himself,  however,  though  so  young — for 
he  was  now  only  about  sixteen  years  of  age — 
had  no  fear.  As  soon  as  he  came  to  the  mead- 


INSURRECTION  ENDED.         259' 

Parley  with  them.  The  king  accedes  to  their  demands. 

ow  at  Mile-End,  where  the  insurgents  had  now 
assembled  to  the  number  of  sixteen  thousand, 
he  rode  forward  boldly  into  the  midst  of  them, 
and  opened  the  conference  at  once  by  asking 
them  what  they  desired. 

The  spokesman  whom  they  had  appointed 
for  the  occasion  stated  their  demands,  which 
were  that  they  should  be  made  free.  They  had 
hitherto  been  held  as  serfs,  in  a  bondage  which 
exposed  them  to  all  sorts  of  cruelties  and  op- 
pressions, since  they  were  amenable,  not  to  law, 
but  wholly  to  the  caprice  and  arbitrary  will  of 
individual  masters.  They  demanded,  therefore, 
that  Richard  should  emancipate  them  from  this 
bondage,  and  make  them  free. 

It  was  determined  by  Richard  and  his  coun- 
selors that  this  demand  should  be  complied 
with,  or,  at  least,  that  they  should  pretend  to 
comply  with  it,  and  that  decrees  of  emancipation 
for  the  different  counties  and  districts  which 
the  various  parties  of  insurgents  had  come  from 
should  be  immediately  issued.  This  decision 
seemed  to  satisfy  them.  The  leaders,  or  at  least 
a  large  portion  of  them,  said  that  it  was  all  they 
wanted,  and  several  parties  immediately  began 
to  set  out  on  their  return  to  their  several  homes. 

But  there  were  a  great  many  who  were  not 
satisfied.  An  insurrection  like  this,  whatever 


260  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Effect  of  the  concessions.  Preparation  of  the  decrees. 

may  be  the  object  and  design  of  the  original 
movers  in  it,  always  brings  out  into  promi- 
nence, and  invests  with  temporary  power,  vast 
numbers  of  desperate  and  violent  men,  whose 
passions  become  inflamed  by  the  excitement  of 
movement  and  action,  and  by  sympathy  with 
each  other,  and  who  are  never  satisfied  to  stop 
with  the  attainment  of  the  objects  originally  de- 
sired. Thus,  in  the  present  instance,  although 
a  great  number  of  the  rebels  were  satisfied  with 
the  promises  made  by  the  king  at  Mile-End,  and 
so  went  home,  multitudes  still  remained.  Large 
parties  went  to  London  to  join  those  who  had 
already  gone  there  in  hopes  of  opportunities  for 
pillage.  Others  remained  at  their  encamp- 
ments, doubting  whether  the  king  would  real- 
ly keep  the  promises  which  he  had  made  them, 
and  send  the  decrees.  Then,  besides,  fresh  par- 
ties of  insurgents  were  continually  arriving  at 
London  and  its  neighborhood,  so  that  the  dan- 
ger seemed  by  no  means  to  have  passed  away. 
The  king  immediately  caused  the  decree  to 
be  prepared.  Thirty  secretaries  were  employ- 
ed at  once  to  write- the  several  copies  required. 
They  were  all  of  the  same  form.  They  were 
written,  as  was  customary  with  royal  decrees 
in  those  times,  in  the  Latin  language,  were  en- 
grossed carefully  upon  parchment,  signed  by  the 


INSURRECTION  ENDED.         261 

Scenes  in  the  night  in  and  around  London. 

king,  and  sealed  by  his  seal.  The  announce- 
ment that  the  secretaries  were  preparing  these 
decrees,  when  the  work  had  been  commenced, 
tended  greatly  to  satisfy  the  insurgents,  and 
many  more  of  them  went  home.  Still,  vast 
numbers  remained,  and  the  excitement  among 
them,  and  their  disposition  for  mischief,  was  ev- 
idently on  the  increase. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  during  the  night 
of  Friday.  The  various  parties  of  the  insur- 
gents were  encamped  in  and  around  London, 
the  glare  of  their  fires  flashing  on  the  build- 
ings an(J.  lighting  up  the  sky,  and  their  shouts, 
sometimes  of  merriment  and  sometimes  of  an- 
ger, filling  the  air.  The  peaceable  inhabitants- 
passed  the  night  in  great  alarm.  Some  of  them 
endeavored  to  conciliate  the  good- will  of  the  in- 
surgents by  offering  them  food  and  wine.  The 
wine,  of  course,  excited  them,  and  made  them 
more  noisy  than  ever.  Their  numbers,  too, 
were  all  the  time  increasing,  and  no  one  could 
foresee  how  or  when  the  trouble  would  end. 

The  next  morning,  a  grand  consultation 
among  the  rebels  was  determined  upon.  It 
was  to  be  held  in  a  great  open  space  called 
Smithfield — a  space  set  apart  as  a  cattle-mar- 
ket, at  the  outskirts  of  London,  toward  the 
north.  All  the  leaders  who  had  not  returned 


262  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1381. 

The  next  morning.  The  king  meets  the  insurgents  at  Smithfield. 

to  their  homes  were  present  at  the  consults 
tion.  Among  them,  and  at  the  head  of  them, 
indeed,  was  Wat  Tyler. 

The  king  that  morning,  it  happened,  having 
spent  the  night  at  the  private  house  down  the 
river  where  his  mother  had  sought  refuge  aft- 
er making  her  escape  from  the  Tower,  conclud- 
ed to  go  to  Westminster  to  attend  mass.  His 
real  motive  for  making  this  excursion  was  prob- 
ably to  show  the  insurgents  that  he  did  not  fear 
them,  and  also,  perhaps,  to  make  observations 
in  respect  to  their  condition  and  movements, 
without  appearing  to  watch  them. 

He  accordingly  went  to  Westminster,  accom- 
panied and  escorted  by  a  suitable  cortege  and 
guard.  The  mayor  of  the  city  of  London  was 
with  the  party.  After  hearing  mass  at  West- 
minster, the  king  set  out  on  his  return  home ; 
but,  instead  of  going  back  through  the  heart  of 
London,  as  he  had  come,  he  took  a  circuit  to 
the  northward  by  a  road  which,  as  it  happen- 
ed, led  through  Smithfield,  where  a  great  body 
of  the  insurgents  had  assembled,  as  has  already 
been  said.  Thus  the  king  came  upon  them 
quite  unexpectedly  both  to  himself  and  to  them. 
When  he  saw  them,  he  halted,  and  the  horse- 
men who  were  with  him  halted  too.  There 
were  about  sixty  horsemen  in  his  train. 


INSURRECTION  ENDED.         263 

Another  parley.  Walter  advances.  Hia  orders  to  his  men. 

Some  of  his  officers  thought  it  would  be  bet- 
ter to  avoid  a  rencounter  with  so  large  a  body 
of  the  insurgents — for  there  were  about  twenty 
thousand  on  the  field — and  recommended  that 
the  king's  party  should  turn  aside,  and  go  home 
another  way ;  but  the  king  said  "  No ;  he  pre- 
ferred to  speak  to  them." 

He  would  go,  he  said,  and  ascertain  what  it 
was  that  they  wanted  more.  He  thought  that 
by  a  friendly  colloquy  with  them  he  could  ap- 
pease them. 

While  the  king  and  his  party  thus  halted  to 
consider  what  to  do,  the  attention  of  the  lead- 
ers of  the  insurgents  had  been  directed  toward 
them.  They  knew  at  once  that  it  was  the  king. 

"  It  is  the  king,"  said  Walter.  "  I  am  going 
to  meet  him  and  speak  with  him.  All  the  rest 
of  you  are  to  remain  here.  You  must  not  move 
from  this  spot  until  I  come  back,  unless  you  see 
me  make  this  signal." 

So  saying,  Walter  made  a  certain  gesture' 
with  his  hand,  which  was  to  be  the  signal  for 
his  men. 

"  When  you  see  me  make  this  signal,"  said 
he,  "do  you  all  rush  forward  and  kill  every 
man  in  the  troop  except  the  king.  You  must 
not  hurt  the  king.  We  will  take  him  and  keep 
him.  He  is  }roung,  and  we  can  make  him  do- 


264  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Doubt  about  the  fairness  of  the  accounts. 

-\yhatever  we  say.  We  will  put  him  at  the  head 
of  our  company,  as  if  he  were  our  commander, 
and  we  were  obeying  his  orders,  and  we  will  do 
every  thing  in  his  name.  In  this  way  we  can 
go  wherever  we  please,  all  over  England,  and 
do  what  we  think  best,  and  there  will  be  no  op- 
position to  us." 

When  I  say  that  Walter  gave  these  orders 
to  his  men,  I  mean  that  these  words  were  at- 
tributed to  him  by  one  of  the  historians  of  the 
time.  As,  however,  all  the  accounts  which  we 
have  of  these  transactions  were  written  by  per- 
sons who  hated  the  insurgents,  and  wished  to 
present  their  case  in  the  most  unfavorable  light 
possible,  we  can  not  depend  absolutely  on  the 
truth  of  their  accounts,  especially  in  cases  like 
this,  when  they  could  not  have  been  present  to 
hear  or  see. 

At  any.  rate,  Walter  rode  up  alone  to  meet 
the  king.  He  advanced  so  near  to  him  that  his 
horse's  head  touched  the  king's  horse.  While 
in  this  position,  a  conversation  ensued  between 
him  and  the  king.  Walter  pointed  to  the  vast 
concourse  of  men  who  were  assembled  in  the 
field,  and  told  the  king  that  they  were  all  un- 
der his  orders,  and  that  what  he  commanded 
them  to  do  they  would  do.  The  king  told  him 
that  if  that  were  the  case,  he  would  do  well  to 


INSURRECTION  ENDED.         265 


Conversation  between  Walter  and  the  king. 


recommend  them  all  to  go  to  their  respective 
homes.  He  had  granted  the  petition,  he  said, 
which  they  had  offered  the  day  before,  and  had 
ordered  decrees  to  be  prepared  emancipating 
them  from  their  bondage.  He  asked  Walter 
what  more  they  required. 

Walter  replied  that  they  wanted  the  decrees 
to  be  delivered  to  them. 

"  We  are  not  willing  to  depart  till  we  get  all 
the  decrees,"  said  he.  "  There  are  all  these 
men,  and  as  many  more  besides  in  the  city,  and 
we  wish  you  to  give  us  all  the  decrees,  that  we 
may  take  them  home  ourselves  to  our  several 
villages  and  towns." 

The  king  said  that  the  secretaries  were  pre- 
paring the  decrees  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  the 
men  might  depend  that  those  which  had  not 
yet  been  delivered  would  be  sent  as  soon  as 
they  were  ready  to  the  villages  and  towns. 

"  Go  back  to  your  men,"  he  added,  "  and  tell 
them  that  they  had  better  return  peaceably  to 
their  homes.  The  decrees  will  all  arrive  there 
in  due  time." 

But  Walter  did  not  seem  at  all  inclined  to  go. 
He  looked  around  upon  the  king's  attendants, 
and  seeing  one  that  he  had  known  before,  a 
squire,  who  was  in  immediate  attendance  on 
the  king's  person,  he  said  to  him, 


266  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Walter  gets  into  a  quarrel  with  the  king's  squire. 

"What!     You  here?" 

This  squire  was  the  king's  sword-bearer.  In 
addition  to  the  king's  sword,  which  it  was  his 
duty  to  carry,  he  was  armed  with  a  dagger  of 
his  own. 

Walter  turned  his  horse  toward  the  squire 
and  said, 

"  Let  me  see  that  dagger  that  you  have  got.'r 

"  No,"  said  the  squire,  drawing  back. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  king,  "  let  him  take  the  dag- 
ger." 

The  king  was  not  at  all  afraid  of  the  rebelr 
and  wished  to  let  him  see  that  he  was  not  afraid 
of  him. 

So  the  squire  gave  Walter  the  dagger.  Wal- 
ter took  it  and  examined  it  in  all  its  parts  very 
carefully,  turning  it  over  and  over  in  his  hands- 
as  he  sat  upon  his  horse.  It  was  very  richly 
ornamented,  and  Walter  had  probably  never 
had  the  opportunity  to  examine  closely  any 
thing  so  beautifully  finished  before. 

After  having  satisfied  himself  with  examin- 
ing the  dagger,  he  turned  again  to  the  squire : 

"  And  now,"  said  he,  "let  me  see  your  sword." 

"  No,"  said  the  squire,  "  this  is  the  king's 
sword,  and  it  is  not  going  into  the  hands  of  such 
a  lowborn  fellow  as  you.  And,  moreover,"  he 
added,  after  pausing  a  moment  and  looking  at 


INSURRECTION  ENDED.         267 

Walter  is  at  last  assaulted  and  killed. 

Walter  with  an  expression  of  defiance,  "if  you 
and  I  had  met  somewhere  alone,  you  would  not 
have  dared  to  talk  as  you  have  done,  not  for  a 
heap  of  gold  as  high  as  this  church." 

There  was  a  famous  church,  called  the  Church 
of  St.  Bartholomew,  near  the  place  where  the 
king  and  his  party  had  halted.  ' 

"  By  the  powers,"  said  Walter,  "  I  will  not 
eat  this  day  before  I  have  your  head." 

Seeing  that  a  quarrel  was  impending,  the 
mayor  of  London  and  a  dozen  horsemen  rode 
up  and  surrounded  Walter  and  the  squire. 

"  Scoundrel !"  said  the  mayor,  "  how  dare  you 
utter  such  threats  as  those  ?" 

"  What  business  is  that  of  yours?"  said  Wal- 
ter, turning  fiercely  toward  the  mayor.  "  What 
have  you  to  do  with  it  ?" 

"Seize  him!"  said  the  king;  for  the  king 
himself  was  now  beginning  to  lose  his  patience. 

The  mayor,  encouraged  by  these  words,  and 
being  already  in  a  state  of  boiling  indignation 
and  rage,  immediately  struck  a  tremendous  blow 
upon  Walter's  head  with  a  cimeter  which  he 
had  in  his  hand.  The  blow  stunned  him,  and 
he  fell  iieavily  from  his  horse  to  the  ground. 
One  of  the  horsemen  who  had  come  up  with 
the  mayor — a  man  named  John  Stand wich — im- 
mediately dismounted,  and  thrust  the  body  of 


268  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Excitement  among  big  men.  ( 'ourage  and  coolness  of  the  king: 

Walter  through  with  his  sword,  killing  him  on 
the  spot. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  crowd  of  the  insur- 
gents had  remained  where  Walter  had  left  them, 
watching  the  proceedings.  They  had  received 
orders  not  to  move  from  their  position  until 
Walter  should  make  the  signal ;  but  when  they 
saw  Walter  struck  down  from  his  horse,  and 
stabbed  as  he  lay  on  the  ground,  they  cried 
out,  "They  have  killed  our  captain.  Form  the 
lines!  form  the  lines!  We  will  go  and  kill 
every  one  of  them." 

So  they  hastily  formed  in  array,  and  got  their 
weapons  ready,  prepared  to  charge  upon  the 
king's  party;  but  Eichard,  who  in  all  these 
transactions  evinced  a  degree  of  bravery  and 
coolness  very  remarkable  for  a  young  man  of 
sixteen,  rode  forward  alone,  and  boldly,  to  meet 
them. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "you  have  no  leader 
but  me.  I  am  your  king.  Eemain  quiet  ancl 
peaceable." 

The  insurgents  seemed  not  to  know  what  to 
do  on  hearing  these  words.  Some  began  to 
move  away,  but  the  more  violent  and  determ- 
ined kept  their  ground,  and  seemed  still  bent 
on  mischief.  The  king  went  back  to  his  party, 
and  asked  them  what  they  should  do  next. 


INSURRECTION  ENDED.         269 


Alarm  conveyed  to  London.  Troops  brought  to  the  ground. 

Some  advised  that  they  should  make  for  the 
open  fields,  and  try  to  escape ;  but  the  mayor 
of  London  advised  that  they  should  remain 
quietly  where  they  were. 

"  It  will  be  of  no  use,"  said  he,  "  for  us  to  try 
to  make  our  escape,  but  if  we  remain  here  we 
shall  soon  have  help." 

The  mayor  had  already  sent  horsemen  into 
London  to  summon  help.  These  messengers 
spread  the  cry  in  the  city,  "  To  SMITHFIELD  ! 
To  SMITHFIELD!  THEY  ARE  KILLING  THE 
KING!"  This  cry  produced  universal  excite- 
ment and  alarm.  The  bands  of  armed  men 
quartered  in  London  were  immediately  turned 
out,  and  great  numbers  of  volunteers  too,  seiz- 
ing such  weapons  as  they  could  find,  made 
haste  to  march  to  Smithfield;  and  thus,  in  a 
short  time,  the  king  found  himself  supported 
by  a  body  of  seven  or  eight  thousand  men. 

Some  of  his  advisers  then  urged  that  the 
whole  of  this  force  should  fall  at  once  upon  the 
insurgents,  and  slaughter  them  without  mercy. 
This  it  was  thought  that  they  could  easily  do, 
although  the  insurgents  were  far  more  numer- 
ous than  they ;  for  the  king's  party  consisted, 
in  great  measure,  of  well-armed  and  well-dis- 
ciplined soldiers,  while  the  insurgents  were  com- 
paratively a  helpless  and  defenseless  rabble. 


270  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  insurgents  surrender  their  banners  and  disperse. 

The  king,  however,  would  not  consent  to  this. 
Perhaps  somebody  advised  him  what  to  do,  or 
perhaps  it  was  his  own  prudence  and  modera- 
tion which  suggested  his  course.  lie  sent  mes- 
sengers forward  to  remonstrate  calmly  with  the 
men,  and  demand  of  them  that  they  should  give 
up  their  banners.  If  they  would  do  so,  the  mes- 
sengers said  that  the  king  would  pardon  them. 
So  they  gave  up  their  banners.  This  seemed 
to  be  the  signal  of  disbanding,  and  large  parties 
of  the  men  began  to  separate  from  the  mass,  and 
move  away  toward  their  homes. 

Next,  the  king  sent  to  demand  that  those  who 
had  received  decrees  of  emancipation  should  re- 
turn them.  They  did  so;  and  in  this  way  a 
considerable  number  of  the  decrees  were  given 
up.  The  king  tore  them  to  pieces  on  the  field, 
upon  the  plea  that  they  were  forfeited  by  the 
men's  having  continued  in  rebellion  after  the 
decrees  were  granted. 

The  whole  mass  of  the  insurgents  began  now 
rapidly  to  get  into  disorder.  They  had  no  head, 
no  banners,  and  the  army  which  was  gathering 
against  them  was  increasing  in  strength  and  res- 
olution every  moment.  The  dispersal  went  on 
faster  and  faster,  until  at  last  those  that  remain- 
ed threw  down  their  weapons  and  fled  to  Lon- 
don. 


AD.  1381.]  INSURRECTION  ENDED.    271 

The  king's  interview  with  his  mother. 

The  king  then  went  home  to  his  mother. 
She  was  overjoyed  to  see  him  safely  returning. 

"My  dear  son,"  said  she,  "you  can  not  con- 
ceive what  pain  and  anguish  I  have  suffered  for 
you  this  day." 

"Yes,  mother,"  said  Kichard,  "I  have  no 
doubt  you  have  suffered  a  great  deal.  But  it  is 
all  over  now.  Now  you  can  rejoice  and  thank 
God,  for  I  have  regained  my  inheritance,  the 
kingdom  of  England,  which  I  had  lost." 

After  this  there  was  no  farther  serious  trou- 
ble. The  insurgents  were  disheartened,  and 
most  of  them  were  glad  to  make  the  best  of 
their  way  home.  After  the  danger  was  past, 
Eichard  revoked  all  the  decrees  of  emancipa- 
tion which  he  had  issued,  on  the  ground  that 
they  had  been  extorted  from  him  by  violence 
and  intimidation,  and  also  that  the  condition 
on  which  they  had  been  granted,  namely,  that 
the  men  should  retire  at  once  quietly  to  their 
homes,  had  not  been  complied  with  on  their 
part.  He  found  it  somewhat  difficult  to  recov- 
er them  all,  but  he  finally  succeeded.  He  also 
sent  commissions  to  all  the  towns  and  villages 
which  had  been  implicated  in  the  rebellion,  and 
caused  great  numbers  of  persons  to  be  tried  and 
condemned  to  death.  Many  thousands  were 


272  KING  KICHARD  II. 

1  inal  results  of  the  rebellion. 

thus  executed.  Indeed,  the  rebellion  had  ex- 
tended far  and  wide;  for,  besides  the  disturb- 
ances in  and  near  London,  there  had  been  ris- 
ings in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  great  ex- 
cesses committed  every  where. 

When  the  rebellion  was.  thus  quelled,  things 
returned  for  a  time  into  substantially  the  same 
condition  as  before,  and  yet  the  bondage  of  the 
people  was  never  afterward  so  abject  and  hope- 
less as  it  had  been.  A  considerable  general  im- 
provement was  the  result.  Indeed,  such  out- 
breaks as  this  against  oppression  are  like  the 
earthquakes  of  South  America,  which,  though 
they  cause  for  the  time  great  terror,  and  often 
much  destruction,  still  have  the  effect  to  raise 
the  general  level  of  the  land,  and  leave  it  for- 
ever afterward  in  a  better  condition  than  before. 

The  cause  of  these  rebels,  moreover,  badly  as- 
they  managed  it,  was  in  the  main  a  just  cause ; 
and  it  is  to  precisely  such  convulsive  struggles 
as  these,  that  have  been  made  from  time  to  time 
by  the  common  people  of  England  in  the  course 
of  their  history,  that  their  descendants,  the  pres- 
ent commons  of  England  and  the  people  of 
America,  are  indebted  for  the  personal  rights 
and  liberties  which  they  now  enjoy. 


A.D.1382.]  GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE.        273 

The  planning  of  Richard' 8  first  marriage. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE. 

KING  RICHARD  was  married  twice.  His 
first  queen  was  named  Anne.  She  was 
a  Bohemian  princess,  and  so  is  sometimes  call- 
ed in  history  Anne  of  Bohemia.  She  was,  how- 
ever, more  commonly  called  Good  Queen  Anne. 

The  marriage  was  planned  by  Richard's  cour- 
tiers and  counselors  when  Richard  himself  was 
about  fifteen  years  old.  The  negotiations  were 
interrupted  by  the  troubles  connected  with  the 
insurrection  described  in  the  two  last  chapters ; 
but  immediately  after  the  insurrection  was 
quelled  they  were  renewed.  The  proposals 
were  sent  to  Bohemia  by  Richard's  government. 
After  suitable  inquiries  had  been  made  by 
Anne's  parents  and  friends,  the  proposals  were 
accepted,  and  preparations  were  made  for  send- 
ing Anne  to  England  to  be  married.  Richard 
was  now  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  Anne 
was  fifteen.  Neither  of  them  had  ever  seen  the 
other. 

In  due  time,  when  every  thing  had  been  made 
ready,  the  princess  set  out  on  her  journey,  ac- 
8—18 


274  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1382. 

Journey  of  the  bridal  party  toward  England. 

companied  by  a  large  train  of  attendants.  She 
was  under  the  charge  of  a  nobleman  named  the 
Duke  of  Saxony,  and  of  his  wife  the  duchess. 
The  duchess  w^s  Anne's  aunt.  Besides  the 
duke,  there  were  in  the  party  a  number  of 
knights,  and  other  persons  of  distinction,  and 
also  several  young  ladies  of  the  court,  who 
went  to  accompany  and  wait  upon  the  princess. 
There  were  also  many  other  attendants  of  low- 
er degree. 

The  party  traveled  slowly,  as  was  the  custom 
in  those  days,  until  at  length  they  reached  Flan- 
ders. Here,  at  Brussels,'the  capital,  the  princess 
was  received  by  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Bra- 
bant, who  were  her  relatives,  and  was  entertain- 
ed by  them  in  a  very  sumptuous  manner.  She, 
however,  heard  alarming  news  at  Brussels.  The 
intention  of  the  party  had  been  to  take  ship  on 
the  coast  of  Flanders,  and  proceed  to  Calais  by 
water.  Calais  was  then  in  the  hands  of  the  En- 
glish, and  an  embassador  with  a  grand  suite  had 
been  sent  from  Richard's  court  to  receive  the 
princess  on  her  arrival  there,  and  conduct  her 
across  the  Channel  to  Dover,  and  thence  to  Lon- 
don. 

The  reason  why  the  princess  and  her  party 
did  not  propose  to  go  by  land  all  the  way  to 
Calais  was  that,  by  so  doing,  they  would  neces- 


GOOD  QUEEN   ANNE.  275 

Their  way  is  cut  off  by  sea. 

sarily  pass  through  the  territories  of  the  King 
of  France,  and  they  were  afraid  that  the  French 
government  would  intercept  them.  It  was 
known  that  the  government  of  France  had  been 
opposed  to  the  match,  as  tending  to  give  Rich- 
ard too  much  influence  on  the  Continent. 

But  now,  on  their  arrival  at  Brussels,  the  bri- 
dal party  learned  that  there  was  a  fleet  of  Nor- 
man vessels,  ten  or  twelve  in  number,  that  were 
cruising  to  and  fro  on  the  coast,  between  Brus- 
sels and  Calais,  with  a  view  of  blocking  up  the 
princess's  way  by  sea  as  well  as  by  land.  Both 
she  herself  and  the  Duke  of  Saxony  were  much 
chagrined  at  receiving  this  information,  and  for 
a  time  they  did  not  know  what  to  do.  At  length 
they  sent  an  embassage  to  Paris,  and  after  some 
difficulties  and  delay  they  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing the  consent  of  the  French  government  that 
the  princess  should  pass  through  the  French 
territories  by  land.  The  embassadors  brought 
back  a  passport  for  her  and  for  her  party. 

Although  the  King  of  France  thus  granted 
the  desired  permission,  he  did  it  in  a  very  un- 
gracious manner,  for  he  took  care  to  say  that 
he  yielded  to  the  Duke  of  Saxony's  request 
solely  out  of  kindness  to  his  good  cousin  Anne, 
and  a  desire  to  do  her  a  favor,  and  not  at  all 
out  of  regard  to  the  King  of  England. 


276  KING  RICHARD  II. 

The  bride  enters  Calais.  Great  display. 

The  princess  was  detained  a  month  in  Brus- 
sels while  they  were  arranging  this  affair,  and 
when  at  last  it  was  settled  she  resumed  her 
journey,  taking  the  road  from  Brussels  to  Ca- 
lais. The  Duke  of  Brabant  accompanied  her, 
with  an  escort  of  one  hundred  spearmen.  This, 
however,  was  an  escort  of  honor  rather  than  of 
protection,  as  the  duke  relied  mainly  upon  the 
French  passport  for  the  safety  of  the  party. 

As  the  party  were  approaching  Calais,  they 
were  received  at  the  town  of  Gravelines  by  the 
English  embassador  and  his  suite,  who  had 
come  out  from  Calais  to  meet  them.  This  em- 
bassador was  the  Earl  of  Salisbury.  He  was 
attended  by  a  force  of  one  thousand  men,  name- 
ly, five  hundred  spearmen  and  five  hundred 
archers.  Conducted  by  this  grand  escort,  and 
accompanied  by  a  large  cavalcade  of  knights 
and  nobles,  all  clad  in  full  armor,  and  splendid- 
ly mounted,  the  princess  and  the  ladies  in  her 
train  made  a  magnificent  entry  into  Calais, 
through  the  midst  of  a  vast  concourse  of  spec- 
tators, with  trumpets  sounding  and  banners 
waving,  and  their  hearts  beating  high  with  ec- 
stasy and  delight.  In  passing  over  the  draw- 
bridge and  through  the  gates  of  Calais,  Anne 
felt  an  emotion  of  exultation  and  pride  in  think- 
ing that  she  was  here  entering  the  dominions 
of  her  future  hu?band. 


GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE.  277 

The  bride  arrives  in  England.  Great  excitement  in  London. 

The  princess  did  not  remain  long  in  Calais. 
She  set  out  on  the  following  day  for  Dover. 
The  distance  across  is  about  twenty  miles. 
They  were  dependent  wholly  on  the  wind  in 
those  days  for  crossing  the  Channel;  but  the 
princess  had  a  prosperous  passage,  and  arrived 
safely  at  Dover  that  night.  News  then  spread 
rapidly  all  over  the  country,  and  ran  up  to  Lon- 
don, that  the  queen  had  come. 

The  news,  of  course,  produced  universal  ex- 
citement. No  certain  tidings  of  the  movements 
of  the  bride  had  been  heard  for  some  weeks 
before,  and  no  one  could  tell  when  to  expect 
her.  Her  arrival  awakened  universal  joy.  Par- 
liament was  in  session  at  the  time.  They  voted 
a  large  sum  of  money  to  be  expended  in  ar- 
rangements for  receiving  the  young  queen  in  a 
proper  manner,  and  in  public  rejoicings  on  the 
occasion.  They  then  immediately  adjourned, 
and  all  the  world  began  to  prepare  for  the  ar- 
rival of  the  royal  cortege  in  London. 

The  princess,  after  resting  a  day  in  Dover, 
moved  on  to  Canterbury,  admiring,  as  she  jour- 
neyed, the  beautiful  scenery  of  the  country  over 
which  she  was  henceforth  to  be  queen.  Kich- 
ard's  uncle  Thomas,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
with  a  large  retinue,  was  ready  there  to  receive 
her.  He  conducted  her  to  London.  As  they 


278  KING  EICHARD  II. 

A  contrast.  The  bride  enters  London. 

approached  the  city,  the  lord-mayor  of  London 
and  all  the  great  civic  functionaries,  with  a  long 
train  of  attendants,  came  out  in  great  state  to 
receive  her  and  escort  her  into  town.  The 
place  of  their  meeting  with  her  was  Blackheath, 
the  same  place  which  a  year  before  had  been 
the  bivouac  of  the  immense  horde  of  ragged 
and  miserable  men  that  Wat  Tyler  and  his  fel- 
low-insurgents had  brought  to  London.  But 
how  changed  now  was  the  scene !  Then  the 
country  was  excited  by  the  deepest  anxiety  and 
alarm,  and  the  spectacle  on  the  field  was  that 
of  one  immense  mass  of  squalid  poverty  and 
wretchedness,  of  misery  reduced  by  hopeless 
suffering  to  recklessness  and  despair.  Now  all 
was  gayety  and  splendor  in  the  spectacle,  and 
the  whole  country  was  excited  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  exultation  and  joy. 

At  Blackheath  the  grand  cavalcade  was  form- 
ed for  passing  through  London.  Splendid  prep- 
arations had  been  made  in  London  to  receive 
the  bride,  and  to  do  honor  to  her  passage 
through  the  city.  Many  of  these  preparations 
were  similar  to  those  which  had  been  made  on 
the  occasion  of  the  king's  coronation.  There 
was  a  castle  and  tower,  with  young  girls  at  the 
top  throwing  down  a  shower  of  golden  snow, 
and  fountains  at  the  sides  flowing  with  wine, 


A.D.1382.]  GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE.        279 

Parades  and  rejoicings.  Character  of  the  queen. 

with  fancifully-dressed  pages  attending  to  offer 
the  princess  drink  from  golden  cups.  In  a 
word,  the  young  and  beautiful  bride  was  re- 
ceived by  the  civic  authorities  of  London  with 
the  same  tokens  of  honor  and  the  same  public 
rejoicings  that  had  been  accorded  to  the  king. 

In  a  few  days  the  marriage  took  place.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  in  the  chapel  royal  of 
the  king's  palace  at  Westminster.  The  king 
appeared  to  be  very  much  pleased  with  his 
bride,  and  paid  her  great  attention.  After  a 
week  spent  with  her  and  the  court  in  festivities 
and  rejoicings  in  "Westminster,  he  took  her  up 
the  river  to  the  royal  castle  at  Windsor.  His 
mother,  the  Princess  of  Wales,  and  other  ladies 
of  rank,  went  with  them,  and  formed  part  of 
their  household.  They  lived  here  very  happily 
together  for  some  time. 

The  young  queen  soon  began  to  evince  those 
kind  and  gracious  qualities  of  heart  which  aft- 
erward made  her  so  beloved  among  the  people 
of  England.  Instead  of  occupying  herself  sole- 
ly with  her  own  greatness  and  grandeur,  and 
with  the  uninterrupted  round  of  pleasures  to 
which  her  husband  invited  her,  she  began  very 
soon  to  think  of  the  sufferings  which  she  found 
that  a  great  many  of  the  common  people  of  En- 
gland were  enduring,  and  to  consider  what  she 


280  KING  EICHARD  II. 

Why  she  was  called  Good  Queen  Anne. 

could  do  to  relieve  them.  The  condition  of  the 
people  was  particularly  unhappy  at  this  tune, 
for  the  king  and  the  nobles  were  greatly  exas- 
perated against  them  on  account  of  the  rebel- 
lion, and  were  hunting  out  all  who  could  be 
proved,  or  were  even  suspected  to  have  been 
engaged  in  it,  and  persecuting  them  in  the  most 
severe  and  oppressive  manner,  and  they  were 
bloody  and  barbarous  beyond  precedent.  The 
young  queen,  hearing  of  these  things,  was  great- 
ly distressed,  and  she  begged  the  king,  for  her 
sake,  to  grant  a  general  pardon  to  all  his  sub- 
jects, on  the  occasion  of  her  coronation,  which 
ceremony  was  now  soon  to  be  performed.  The 
king  granted  this  request,  and  thus  peace  and 
tranquillity  were  once  more  fully  restored  to 
the  land. 

After  this,  during  all  her  life,  Anne  watched 
for  every  opportunity  to  do  good,  and  she  was 
continually  engaged  in  gentle  but  effective  ef- 
forts to  heal  dissensions,  to  assuage  angry  feel> 
ings,  and  to  alleviate  suffering.  She  was  a  gen- 
eral peace-maker ;  and  her  lofty  position,  and 
the  great  influence  which  she  exercised  over 
the  king,  gave  her  great  power  to  accomplish 
the  benevolent  purposes  which  the  kindness  of 
her  heart  led  her  to  form. 

The  arrival  of  the  young  queen  produced  a 


GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE.  281 

Ancient  drawings.  Curious  fashions  of  those  times. 

great  sensation  among  the  ladies  of  Kichard's 
court,  in  consequence  of  the  new  fashions  which 
she  introduced  into  England.  The  fashions  of 
dress  in  those  days  were  very  peculiar.  We 
learn  what  they  were  from  the  pictures,  drawn 
with  the  pen  or  painted  in  water-colors,  in  the 
manuscripts  of  those  days  that  still  remain  in 
the  old  English  libraries.  There  are  a  great 
many  of  these  drawings,  and,  as  they  agree  to- 
gether in  the  style  and  fashion  of  the  costumes 
represented,  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  give 
us  correct  ideas  of  the  dresses  really  worn.  Be- 
sides, there  are  many  allusions  in  the  chronicles 
of  those  times,  and  in  poems  and  books  of  ac- 
counts, which  correspond  precisely  with  the 
drawings,  and  thus  confirm  their  correctness 
and  accuracy. 

The  engravings  on  the  following  page  are 
copied  from  one  of  these  ancient  manuscripts. 

Observe  the  singular  forms  of  the  caps,  both 
those  of  the  men  and  of  the  women.  The  men 
wore  sometimes  jackets,  and  sometimes  long 
gowns  which  came  down  to  the  ground.  The 
most  singular  feature  of  the  dresses  of  the  men, 
however,  is  the  long-pointed  shoes.  Were  it  not 
that  fashions  are  often  equally  absurd  at  the 
present  day,  we  should  think  it  impossible  that 
such  shoes  as  these  could  ever  have  been  made. 


282  KING  EICHARD  II. 


Costumes  of  Kichard'a  time. 


FEMALE   COSTUME   IN    THE   TIME   OF    RICHARD   II. 


GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE. 


283 


The  Cracows. 


Origin  of  the  name. 


The  horned  caps. 


These  shoes  were  called  Cracows.  Cracow 
was  a  town  in  Poland  which,  was  at  that  time 
within  the  dominions  of  Anne's  father,  and  it 
is  supposed  that  the  fashion  of  wearing  these 
shoes  may  have  been  brought  into  England  by 
some  of  the  gentlemen  in  Anne's  train,  when 
she  came  to  England  to  be  married.  It  is  known 
that  the  queen  did  introduce  a  great  many  for- 
eign fashions  to  the  court,  and,  among  the  rest, 


FASHIONABLE   HEAD-DRESSES. 


a  fashion  of  head-dress  for  ladies,  which  was 
quite  as  strange  as  peaked  shoes  for  the  gentle- 


284  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Description  of  the  horns.  Pins.  Side-saddles. 

men.  It  consisted  of  what  was  called  the  horn- 
ed cap. 

These  horns  were  often  two  feet  high,  and 
sometimes  two  feet  wide  from  one  side  to  the" 
other.  The  frame  of  this  head-dress  was  made 
of  wire  and  pasteboard,  and  the  covering  was 
of  some  glittering  tissue  or  gauze.  There  were 
other  head-dresses  scarcely  less  monstrous  than 
these.  Some  of  them  are  represented  in  the 
engraving.  These  fashions,  when  introduced 
by  the  queen,  spread  with  great  rapidity  among 
all  the  court  ladies,  and  thence  to  all  fashion- 
able circles  in  England. 

It  is  said,  too,  that  it  was  this  young  queen 
who  first  introduced  pins  into  England.  Dress- 
es had  been  fastened  before  by  little  skewers 
made  of  wood  or  ivory.  Queen  Anne  brought 
pins,  which  had  been  made  for  some  time  in 
Germany,  and  the  use  of  them  soon  extended 
all  over  England. 

Side-saddles  for  ladies  on  horseback  were  a 
third  fashion  which  Queen  Anne  is  said  to  have 
introduced.  The  side-saddle  which  she  brought 
was,  however,  of  a  very  simple  construction.  It 
consisted  of  a  seat  placed  upon  the  horse's  back, 
with  a  sort  of  step  depending  from  it  on  one 
side  for  the  feet  to  rest  upon.  Both  feet  were 
placed  upon  this  step  together. 


AJX1382.]  GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE.         285 

Queen  Anne's  useful  and  busy  life.  Shene. 

Queen  Anne,  after  her  marriage,  lived  very 
happily  with  her  husband  for  twelve  years. 
She  was  devotedly  attached  to  him,  and  he 
seems  sincerely  to  have  loved  her.  He  was 
naturally  kind  and  affectionate  in  his  disposi- 
tion, and,  while  Anne  lived,  he  yielded  himself 
to  the  good  influences  which  she  exerted  over 
him.  She  journeyed  with  him  wherever  he 
went,  and  aided  him  in  the  accomplishment  of 
all  his  plans.  Whenever  he  became  involved 
in  any  difficulty,  either  with  his  nobles  or  with 
his  subjects,  she  acted  the  part  of  mediator,  and 
almost  always  succeeded  in  allaying  the  ani- 
mosity and  healing  the  feud  before  it  proceed- 
ed to  extremes.  She  resided  with  her  husband 
sometimes  at  one  palace  and  sometimes  at  an- 
other, but  her  favorite  residence  was  at  the 
palace  of  Shene,  near  the  present  town  of  Rich- 
mond. 

Although  the  king  was  crowned  at  the  time 
of  his  accession  to  the  throne,  he  did  not  fully 
assume  the  government  at  that  time  on  account 
of  his  youth,  for  you  will  remember  that  he  was 
then  only  about  eleven  years  old ;  nor  did  he, 
in  fact,  come  fully  into  possession  of  power  at 
the  time  of  his  marriage,  for  he  was  then  under 
sixteen.  At  that  time,  and  for  several  years 
afterward,  his  uncles  and  the  other  influential 


286  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Grand  celebration.  The  tournament.  Knights. 

nobles  managed  the  government  in  his  name. 
At  length,  however,  when  he  was  about  twenty- 
one  years  old,  he  thought  it  was  time  for  him 
to  assume  the  direction  of  affairs  himself,  and 
he  accordingly  did  so.  At  this  time  there  was 
another  grand  celebration,  one  scarcely  inferior 
in  pomp  and  splendor  to  the  coronation  itself. 

Among  other  performances  on  this  occasion 
there  was  a  tournament,  in  which  knights 
mounted  on  horseback,  and  armed  from  head  to 
foot  with  iron  armor,  fought  in  the  lists,  endeav- 
oring to  unhorse  each  other  by  means  of  their 
spears.  The  tournament  was  held  at  Smith- 
field.  Eaised  platforms  were  set  up  by  the  side 
of  the  lists  for  the  lords  and  ladies  of  the  court, 
and  a  beautiful  canopy  for  the  queen,  who  was 
to  act  as  judge  of  the  combat,  and  was  to  award 
the  prizes.  The  prizes  consisted  of  a  rich  jew- 
eled clasp  and  a  splendid  crown  of  gold. 

The  queen  went  first  to  the  ground,  and  took 
her  place  with  her  attendants  under  her  canopy. 
The  knights  who  were  to  enter  the  lists  then 
came  in  a  grand  cavalcade  through  the  streets 
of  London  to  the  palace.  There  were  sixty 
Jadies  mounted  on  beautiful  palfreys,  accoutred 
with  the  new-fashioned  side-saddles.  Each  of 
these  ladies  conducted  a  knight,  whom  she  led 
by  a  silver  chain.  They  were  preceded  by 


GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE.  287 

Magnificence  of  the  king's  mode  of  life. 

minstrels  and  bands  of  instrumental  music,  and 
the  streets  were  thronged  with  spectators. 

After  the  tournament  there  was  a  grand  ban- 
quet at  the  palace  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  with 
music  and  dancing,  and  other  such  amusements, 
which  continued  to  a  late  hour  of  the  night. 

For  some  years  after  this  the  king  and  queen 
lived  together  in  great  prosperity.  Outwardly 
things  went  pretty  well  with  the  king's  affairs, 
and,  as  he  was  fond  of  pomp  and  display,  he 
gradually  acquired  habits  of  very  profuse  and 
lavish  expenditure.  Indeed,  he  is  said  to  have 
made  it  an  object  of  his  ambition  to  surpass, 
in  the  magnificence  of  his  style  of  living,  all 
the  sovereigns  of  Europe.  He  kept  many  sep- 
arate establishments  in  his  different  palaces,  and 
at  all  of  them  gave  entertainments  and  ban- 
quets of  immense  magnificence  and  of  the  most 
luxurious  character.  It  is  said  that  three  hund- 
red persons  were  employed  in  his  kitchens. 

At  length,  in  the  year  1394,  when  Eichard 
was  preparing  for  an  expedition  into  Ireland 
to  quell  a  rebellion  which  had  broken  out  there, 
the  queen  was  seized  with  a  fatal  epidemic  which 
was  then  prevailing  in  England,  and  after  a 
short  illness  she  died.  She  was  at  her  palace 
of  Shene  at  this  time.  The  king  hastened  to 


288  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1394. 

Death  of  Queen  Anne.  The  king  inconsolable.  The  funeral. 

attend  her  the  moment  that  he  heard  the  tid- 
ings of  her  illness,  and  was  with  her  when  she 
died.  He  was  inconsolable  at  the  loss  of  his 
wife,  for  he  had  loved  her  sincerely,  and  she  had 
been  a  singularly  faithful  and  devoted  wife  to 
him.  He  was  made  almost  crazy  by  her  death. 
He  imprecated  bitter  curses  on  the  palace  where 
she  died,  and  he  ordered  it  to  be  destroyed.  It 
was,  in  fact,  partially  dismantled,  in  obedience 
to  these  orders,  and  Eichard  himself  never  oc- 
cupied it  again.  It  was,  however,  repaired  un- 
der a  subsequent  reign. 

Richard  gave  up,  for  the  time  being,  his  ex- 
pedition into  Ireland,  being  wholly  ahsorbed  in 
his  sorrow  for  the  irreparable  loss  he  had  suf- 
fered. He  wrote  letters  to  all  the  great  nobles 
and  barons  of  England  to  come  to  the  funeral, 
and  the  obsequies  were  celebrated  with  the  great- 
est possible  pomp  and  parade.  Two  months 
were  expended  in  making  preparations  for  the 
funeral.  When  the  day  arrived,  a  very  long 
procession  was  formed  to  escort  the  body  from 
Shene  to  Westminster.  This  procession  was 
accompanied  by  an  immense  number  of  torch- 
bearers,  all  carrying  lighted  torches  in  their 
hands.  So  great  was  the  number  of  these 
torches,  that  a  large  quantity  of  wax  was  im- 
ported from  Flanders  expressly  for  the  purpose. 


A.D.1394.]  GOOD  QUEEN  ANNE.         289 

Inscription  on  Queen  Anne's  tomh. 

The  tomb  of  Anne  was  not  made  until  a  year 
after  her  death.  Richard  himself  attended  to 
all  the  details  connected  with  the  construction 
of  it.  The  inscription  was  in  Latin.  The  fol- 
lowing is  an  exact  translation  of  it : 


"  Under  this  stone  lies  Anne,  here  entombed, 
Wedded  in  this  world's  life  to  the  second  Richard. 
To  Christ  were  her  meek  virtues  devoted  : 
His  poor  she  freely  fed  from  her  treasures ; 
Strife  she  assuaged,  and  swelling  feuds  appeased  ; 
Beauteous  her  form,  her  face  surpassing  fair. 
On  July's  seventh  day,  thirteen  hundred  ninety-four, 
All  comfort  was  bereft,  for  through  irremediable  sickness 
She  passed  away  into  interminable  joys." 

« 

By  the  death  of  his  wife,  Richard  was  left,  as 
it  were,  almost  alone  in  the  world.  His  moth- 
er, the  Princess  of  Wales,  had  died  some  time 
before,  and  Anne  had  had  no  children.  There 
were  his  uncles  and  his  cousins,  it  is  true,  but 
they  were  his  rivals  and  competitors  rather  than 
his  friends.  Indeed,  they  were  destined  soon 
to  become  his  open  enemies. 

Richard  was  afterward  married  again,  to  his 
"  little  wife,"  as  we  shall  see  in  a  future  chap- 
ter. 

8—19 


290  KING  BICHAKD  II.  [A.D.1382. 

Jealousy  of  Richard  and  his  mother  against  the  uncles. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
INCIDENTS  OF  THE  KEIGN. 

IN  giving  some  general  account  of  the  char- 
acter of  Eichard's  reign,  and  of  the  incidents 
that  occurred  during  the  course  of  it,  we  now 
go  back  a  little  again,  so  as  to  begin  at  the  be- 
ginning of  it. 

When  Kichard  was  married,  he  was,  as  has 
already  been  said,  only  about  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years  of  age.  As  he  grew  older,  -after  this  time, 
and  began  to  feel  that  sense  of  strength  and  in- 
dependence which  pertains  to  manhood,  he  be- 
came more  and  more  jealous  of  the  power  and 
influence  of  his  uncles  in  the  government  of  the 
•country.  His  mother,  too,  who  was  still  living, 
and  who  adhered  closely  to  him,  was  very  sus- 
picious of  the  uncles.  She  was  continually  im- 
agining that  they  were  forming  plots  and  con- 
spiracies against  her  son  in  favor  of  themselves 
•or  of  their  own  children.  She  was  particularly 
suspicious  of  the  Duke^  of  Lancaster,  and  of  his 
son  Henry  Bolingbroke.  It  proved  in  the  end 
that  there  was  some  reason  for  this  suspicion, 
for  this  Henry  Bolingbroke  was  the  means  at 


THE  KEIGN.  291 


Plots  and  manoeuvres.  Thomas,  Duke  of  Gloucester. 

last  of  deposing  Richard  from  his  throne  in  or- 
der to  take  possession  of  it  himself,  as  we  shall 
see  in  the  sequel. 

In  order  to  prevent,  as  far  as  possible,  these 
uncles  from  finding  opportunity  to  accomplish 
any  of  their  supposed  designs,  Richard  and  his 
mother  excluded  them,  as  much  as  they  could, 
from  power,  and  appointed  other  persons,  who 
had  no  such  claims  to  the  crown,  to  all  the  im- 
portant places  about  the  court.  This,  of  course, 
made  the  uncles  very  angry.  They  called  the 
men  whom  Richard  thus  brought  forward  his 
favorites,  and  they  hated  them  exceedingly. 
This  state  of  things  led  to  a  great  many  in- 
trigues, and  manoeuvres,  and  plots,  and  counter- 
plots, the  favorites  against  the  uncles,  and  the 
uncles  against  the  favorites.  These  difficulties 
were  continued  for  many  years.  Parties  were 
formed  in  Parliament,  of  which  sometimes  one 
was  in  the  ascendency  and  sometimes  the  othei; 
and  all  was  turmoil  and  confusion. 

When  Richard  was  about  twenty  years  old, 
one  of  his  uncles — his  uncle  Thomas,  at  that  time 
Duke  of  Gloucester — gained  such  an  influence 
in  Parliament  that  some  of  Richard's  favorites 
were  deposed  from  office  and  imprisoned.  The 
duke  was  imboldened  by  this  success  to  take  a 
farther  step.  He  told  the  Parliament  that  the 


292  KING  KICHARD  II. 

Province  of  Parliament  Prerogative  of  the  king. 

government  would  never  be  on  a  good  footing 
until  they  themselves  appointed  a  council  to 
manage  in  the  king's  name. 

When  Richard  heard  of  this  plan,  he  declared 
that  he  would  never  submit  to  it. 

"  I  am  the  King  of  England,"  said  he,  "  and 
I  will  govern  my  realm  by  means  of  such  of- 
ficers as  I  choose  to  appoint  myself.  I  will  not 
have  others  to  appoint  them  for  me." 

The  ideas  which  the  kings  of  those  days  en- 
tertained in  respect  to  the  province  of  Parlia- 
ment was  that  it  was  to  vote  the  necessary- 
taxes  to  supply  the  king's  necessities,  and  also 
to  mature  the  details  of  all  laws  for  the  regula- 
tion of  the  ordinary  business  and  the  social  re- 
lations of  life,  but  that  the  government,  strict- 
ly so  called — that  is,  all  that  relates  to  the  ap- 
pointment and  payment  of  executive  officers, 
the  making  of  peace  or  war,  the  building  and 
equipment  of  fleets,  and  the  command  of  armies, 
was  exclusively  the  king's  prerogative,  and  that 
for  the  exercise  of  his  prerogative  in  these  par- 
ticulars the  sovereign  was  responsible,  not  to 
his  subjects,  but  to  God  alone,  from  whom  he 
claimed  to  have  received  his  crown. 

The  people  of  England,  as  represented  by 
Parliament,  have  never  consented  to  this  view 
of  the  subject.  They  have  always  maintained 


THE  EEIGN.  293 


The  Commons  threaten  the  king.  He  is  compelled  to  yield. 

that  their  kings  are,  in  some  sense,  responsible 
to  the  people  of  the  realm,  and  they  have  oft- 
en deposed  kings,  and  punished  them  in  other 
ways. 

Accordingly,  when  Eichard  declared  that  he 
would  not  submit  to  the  appointment  of  a  coun- 
cil by  Parliament,  the  Commons  reminded  him 
of  the  fact  that  his  great-grandfather,  Edward 
the  Second,  had  been  deposed  in  consequence 
of  having  unreasonably  and  obstinately  resisted 
the  will  of  his  people,  and  they  hinted  to  him 
that  it  would  be  well  for  him  to  beware  lest  he 
should  incur  the  same  fate.  Some  of  the  lords, 
too,  told  him  that  the  excitement  was  so  great 
in  the  country  on  account  of  the  mismanage- 
ment of  public  affairs,  and  the  corruptions  and 
malpractice  of  the  favorites,  that  if  he  refused 
to  allow  the  council  to  be  appointed,  there  was 
danger  that  he  would  lose  his  head. 

So  Eichard  was  obliged  to  submit,  and  the 
council  was  appointed.  Eichard  was  in  a  great 
rage,  and  he  secretly  determined  to  lay  his  plans 
for  recovering  the  power  into  his  own  hands  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  punishing  the  council,  and 
all  who  were  concerned  in  appointing  them,  for 
their  audacity  in  presuming  to  encroach  in  such 
a  manner  upon  his  sovereign  rights  as  king. 

The  council  that  was  appointed  consisted  of 


294  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Council  appointed.      Richard's  discontent      The  court  at  Nottingham. 

eleven  bishops  and  nobles.  Richard's  uncle 
Thomas,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  was  at  the 
head  of  it.  This  council  governed  the  country 
for  more  than  a  year.  Every  thing  was  done 
in  Richard's  name,  it  is  true,  but  the  real  power 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester. 
Richard  was  very  angry  and  indignant,  but  he 
did  not  see  what  he  could  do. 

He  was,  however,  all  the  time  forming  plans 
and  schemes  to  recover  his  power.  At  last, 
after  about  a  year  had  passed  away,  he  called 
together  a  number  of  judges  secretly  at  Not- 
tingham, toward  the  northern  part  of  the  king- 
dom, and  submitted  to  them  the  question  wheth- 
er such  a  council  as  the  Parliament  had  appoint- 
ed was  legal.  It  was,  of  course,  understood  be- 
forehand how  the  judges  would  decide.  They 
decreed  that  the  council  was  illegal ;  that  for 
Parliament  to  give  a  council  such  powers  was 
a  violation  of  the  king's  prerogative,  and  was 
consequently  treason,  and  that,  of  course,  all 
who  had  been  concerned  in  the  transaction  had 
made  themselves  liable  to  the  penalty  of  death. 

It  was  Richard's  plan,  after  having  obtained 
this  decree,  to  cause  the  prominent  members  of 
the  council  to  be  arrested,  and  he  came  to  Lon- 
don and  began  to  make  his  preparations  for  ac- 
complishing this  purpose?  But  as  soon  as  his 


A.D.  1389-1396.]  THE  REIGN.  295 

1 'reparations  for  war.  .Richard  and  his  party  overcome. 

uncle  Thomas,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  heard 
of  these  plans,  he,  and  some  great  nobles  who- 
were  ready  to  join  with  him  against  the  kingr 
collected  all  their  forces,  and  began  to  march  to- 
London  at  the  head  of  forty  thousand  men. 
Richard's  cousin  Henry,  the  Duke  of  Lancas- 
ter's son,  joined  them  on  the  way.  Richard's 
friends  and  favorites,  on  hearing  of  this,  imme- 
diately took  arms,  and  preparations  began  to 
be  made  for  civil  war.  In  a  word,  after  having 
successfully  met  and  quelled  the  great  insur- 
rection of  the  serfs  and  laborers  under  Wat  Ty- 
ler, Richard  was  now  to  encounter  a  still  more 
formidable  resistance  of  his  authority  on  the 
part  of  his  uncles  and  the  great  barons  of  the 
realm.  These  last,  indeed,  were  far  more  to  be 
feared  than  the  others,  for  they  had  arms  and 
organization,  and  they  enjoyed  every  possible 
facility  for  carrying  on  a  vigorous  and  determ- 
ined war.  Richard  and  his  party  soon  found 
that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  resist  them. 
Accordingly,  after  a  very  brief  struggle,  the 
royal  party  was  entirely  put  down.  Richard's 
favorites  were  arrested.  Some  of  them  were 
beheaded,  others  were  banished  from  the  realm, 
and  the  government  of  the  country  fell  again 
into  the  hands  of  theauncles. 

One  of  Richard's  favorites  who  was  executed 


296   KING  RICHARD  1 1.  [A.D.  1389-1396. 

Execution  of  Burley.  Queen  Anne's  fruit  lean  intercession. 

on  this  occasion  was  a  man  whose  untimely 
death  grieved  and  afflicted  both  Richard  and 
the  queen  very  much  indeed.  His  name  was 
Sir  Simon  B.urley.  He  had  been  Richard's 
friend  and  companion  all  his  life.  Richard's 
father,  Edward,  the  Black  Prince,  had  appoint- 
ed Sir  Simon  Richard's  tutor  while  Richard 
himself  was  a  mere  child,  and  he  had  been  with 
him  ever  since  that  time.  Queen  Anne  was 
much  attached  to  him,  and  she  was  particularly 
grateful  to  him  on  account  of  his  having  been 
the  commissioner  who  negotiated  and  arranged 
her  marriage  with  Richard.  Richard  made 
every  possible  exertion  to  save  his  tutor's  life, 
but  his  uncle  Gloucester  was  inexorable.  He 
told  Richard  that  his  keeping  the  crown  de- 
pended on  the  immediate  execution  of  the  trai- 
tor. Queen  Anne  fell  on  her  knees  before  him, 
and  begged  and  entreated  that  Sir  Simon  might 
be  spared,  but  all  was  of  no  avail. 

So  Richard  was  compelled  to  submit ;  but  he 
did  not  do  so  without  secret  muttering,  and  res- 
olutions of  revenge.  He  allowed  the  govern- 
ment to  remain  in  his  uncle's  hands  for  some 
time,  but  at  length,  about  a  year  afterward,  he 
found  himself  strong  enough  to  seize  it  again. 
The  plea  which  his  uncles  had  hitherto  made 
for  managing  the  government  themselves  was, 


THE  EEIGN.  297 


The  king  determines  to  resume  his  power. 


that  Kichard  was  not  yet  of  age.  But  now  hg 
became  of  age,  and  he  resolved  on  what  might 
be  called  a  coup  d'etat,  to  get  possession  of  the 
government.  He  planned  this  measure  in  con- 
cert with  a  number  of  his  own  friends  and  fa- 
vorites, who  hoped,  by  this  means,  that  they 
themselves  should  rise  to  power. 

He  called  a  grand  council  of  all  the  nobles 
and  great  officers  of  state.  The  assembly  con- 
vened in  the  great  council-chamber,  and  waited 
there  for  the  king  to  come  in. 

At  length  the  king  arrived,  and,  walking  into 
the  chamber,  he  took  his  seat  upon  the  throne. 
A  moment  afterward  he  turned  to  one  of  the 
chief  officers  present  and  addressed  him,  saying, 

'  'My  lord,  what  is  my  age  at  the  present 
time?" 

The  nobleman  answered  that  his  majesty  was 
now  over  twenty  years  of  age. 

"  Then,"  said  the  king,  speaking  in  a  very 
firm  and  determined  manner,  "  I  am  of  years 
sufficient  to  govern  mine  own  house  and  family, 
and  also  my  kingdom ;  for  it  seemeth  against 
reason  that  the  state  of  the  meanest  person  in 
my  kingdom  should  be  better  than  mine.  Ev- 
ery heir  throughout  the  land  that  has  once  come 
to  the  age  of  twenty  years  is  permitted,  if  his 
father  be  not  living,  to  order  his  business  him- 


298  KING  RICHARD  II 

His  interview  with  his  council.  Surprise  of  the  barons. 

self.  And  that  which  is  permitted  by  law  to 
every  other  person,  of  however  mean  degree, 
why  is  it  denied  to  me?" 

The  king  spoke  these  words  with  an  air  of 
such  courage  and  determination  that  the  barons 
were  astonished.  The  foremost  of  them,  after 
a  brief  pause,  seemed  ready  to  accede  to  his 
proposals.  They  said  that  there  should  hence- 
forth be  no  right  abridged  from  him,  but  that 
he  might  take  upon  himself  the  government 
if  he  chose,  as  it  was  now  manifestly  his  duty 
to  do. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  king.  "You  know 
that  I  have  been  a  long  time  ruled  by  tutors 
and  governors,  so  that  it  has  not  been  lawful 
for  me  to  do  any  thing,  no  matter  of  how  small 
importance,  without  their  consent.  Now,  there- 
fore, I  desire  that  henceforth  they  meddle  no 
more  with  matters  pertaining  to  my  govern- 
ment, for  I  will  attend  to  them  myself,  and  aft- 
er the  manner  of  an  heir  arrived  at  full  age.  I 
will  call  whom  I  please  to  be  my  counsel,  and 
thus  manage  my  own  affairs  according  to  my 
own  will  and  pleasure." 

The  barons  were  extremely  surprised  to  hear 
these  determinations  thus  resolutely  announced 
by  the  king,  but  had  nothing  to  say  in  reply. 

"  And  in  the  first  place,"  continued  Richard, 


THE  REIGN.  299 

fhe  great  seal.  Richard  appoints  a  new  chancellor. 

"  I  wish  the  chancellor  to  give  me  up  the  great 
seal." 

The  great  seal  was  a  very  important  badge 
and  emblem  of  the  royal  prerogative.  No  de- 
cree was  of  legal  authority  until  an  impress 
from  this  seal  was  attached  to  it.  The  officer 
who  had  charge  of  it  was  called  the  chancellor. 
A  new  seal  was  prepared  for  each  sovereign  on 
his  accession  to  the  throne.  The  devices  were 
much  the  same  in  all.  They  consisted  of  a  rep- 
resentation of  the  king  seated  on  his  throne  upon 
one  side -of  the  seal,  and  on  the  other  mount- 
ed on  horseback  and  going  into  battle,  armed 
from  head  to  foot.  The  legends  or  inscriptions 
around  the  border  were  changed,  of  course,  for 
each  reign. 

The  engraving  on  the  following  page  repre- 
sents one  side  of  king  Richard's  seal.  The  oth- 
er side  contained  an  image  of  the  king  seated 
on  his  throne,  and  surrounded  by  various  insig- 
nia of  royalty. 

"I  wish  the  chancellor,"  said  the  king,  "to 
deliver  me  up  the  great  seal." 

So  the  nobleman  who  had  been  chancellor  up 
to  that  time  delivered  the  seal  into  the  hands 
of  the  king.  The  seal  was  kept  in  a  beautiful 
box,  richly  ornamented.  It  was  always  brought 
to  the  council  by  the  lord  chancellor,  who  had 


300  KING  EICHARD  II. 


Richard  appoints  new  officers  of  government 


SEAL  OP   RICHARD   II. 


it  in  charge.  The  king  proceeded  immediately 
afterward  to  appoint  a  new  chancellor,  and  to 
place  the  box  in  his  hands.  In  the  same  sum- 
mary manner  the  king  displaced  almost  all  the 
other  high  officers  of  state,  and  appointed  new 
ones  of  his  own  instead  of  them.  The  former 
officers  were  obliged  to  submit,  though  sorely 
against  their  will.  They  were  powerless,  for  the 
king  had  now  attained  such  an  age  tnat  there 
was  no  longer  any  excuse  for  withholding  from 
him  the  complete  possession  of  his  kingdom. 


THE  KEIGN.  301 

The  wars  in  which  Kichard  was  engaged. 

From  this  time,  accordingly,  Kichard  was  ac- 
tually as  well  as  nominally  king  of  England ; 
but  still  he  was  often  engaged  in  contentions 
and  quarrels  with  his  uncles,  and  with  the  oth- 
er great  nobles  who  took  his  uncle's  part. 

The  queen — for  good  Queen  Anne  was  at 
this  time  still  living — was  so  gentle  and  kind, 
and  she  acted  her  part  as  peacemaker  so  well, 
that  she  greatly  softened  and  soothed  these  as- 
perities; but  Eichard  led,  nevertheless,  a  wild 
and  turbulent  life,  and  was  continually  getting 
involved  in  the  most  serious  difficulties.  Then 
there  were  wars  to  be  carried  on,  sometimes  with 
France,  sometimes  with  Scotland,  and  sometimes 
with  Ireland.  Kichard's  uncles,  the  Dukes  of 
Lancaster  and  Gloucester,  generally  went  away 
in  command  of  the  armies  to  carry  on  these 
wars.  Sometimes  Eichard  himself  accompanied 
the  expeditions;  but  even  on  these  occasions, 
when  he  and  his  knights  and  nobles  were  en- 
gaged together  in  a  common  cause,  and  ap- 
parently at  peace  with  each  other,  there  were 
so  many  jealousies  and  angry  heartburnings 
among  them,  that  deadly  quarrels  and  feuds 
were  continually  breaking  out. 

As  an  example  of  these  quarrels,  I  will  give 
an  account  of  one  which  took  place  not  very 
long  after  Eichard  was  married.  He  was  en- 


302  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.  1389-1396. 

Story  of  Sir  Miles,  the  Bohemian  knight. 

gaged  with  his  uncles  in  an  expedition  to  Scot- 
land. There  was  a  knight  in  attendance  upon 
him  named  Sir  Miles.  This  knight  was  a  friend 
of  the  queen.  He  was  a  Bohemian,  and  had 
come  from  Bohemia  to  pay  Anne  a  .visit,  and 
to  bring  the  news  to  her  from  her  native  land. 
The  king,  out  of  affection  to  Anne,  paid  him 
great  attention.  This  made  the  English  knights 
and  nobles  jealous,  and  they  amused  themselves 
with  mimicking  and  laughing  at  Sir  Miles's  for- 
eign peculiarities.  The  particular  friends  of 
the  queen,  however,  took  his  part,  one  especial- 
ly, named  the  Earl  of  Stafford,  and  his  son,  the 
young  Lord  Ralph  Stafford.  Lord  Ralph  Staf- 
ford was  one  of  the  most  courteous  and  popular 
knights  in  England. 

In  the  course  of  the  expedition  to  Scotland 
the  party  came  to  a  town  called  Beverley,  which 
is  situated  in  the  northern  part  of  England,  near 
the  frontier.  One  day,  two  archers  belonging 
to  the  service  of  Lord  Ralph  Stafford,  in  rid- 
ing across  the  fields  near  Beverley,  found  two 
squires  engaged  in  a  sort  of  quarrel  with  Sir 
Miles.  The  cause  of  the  quarrel  was  something 
about  his  lodgings  in  the  town.  The  squires, 
it  seems,  knowing  that  the  knights  and  nobles 
generally  disliked  Sir  Miles,  were  encouraged 
to  be  very  bold  and  insolent  to  him  in  express- 


THE  EEIGN.  303 


The  archers  and  the  squires.  A  squire  killed. 

ing  their  ill-will,  and  when  the  archers  came 
up  they  were  following  him  with  taunts,  and 
ridicule,  and  abuse,  while  Sir  Miles  was  making 
the  best  of  his  way  toward  the  town. 

The  archers  took  the  Bohemian's  part.  They 
remonstrated  with  the  squires  for  thus  abusing 
and  teasing  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner,  a  per- 
sonal friend,  too,  and  guest  of  the  queen. 

"  What  business  is  it  of  yours,  villainous 
knave,  whether  we  laugh  at  him  or  not  ?"  said 
the  squires.  "  What  right  have  you  to  inter- 
meddle ?  What  is  it  to  you  ?" 

"  What  is  it  to  us  ?"  repeated  one  of  the  arch- 
ers. "It  is  a  great  deal  to  us.  This  man  is 
the  friend  of  our  master,  and  we  will  not  stand 
by  and  see  him  abused." 

Upon  hearing  this,  one  of  the  squires  uttered 
some  words  of  defiance,  and  advanced  as  if  to 
strike  the  archer ;  but  the  archer,  having  his 
bow  and  arrow  all  ready,  suddenly  let  the  ar- 
row fly,  and  the  squire  was  killed  on  the  spot. 

Sir  Miles  had  already  gone  on  toward  the 
town.  The  other  squire,  seeing  his  companion 
dead,  immediately  made  his  escape.  The  two 
archers,  leaving  the  man  whom  they  had  killed 
on  the  ground  where  he  had  fallen,  made  the 
best  of  their  way  home,  and  told  their  master, 
Sir  Ealph  Stafford,  what  they  had  done. 


804  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Sir  Ralph  Stafford  ia  displeased  and  alarmed. 

Sir  Ralph  was  extremely  concerned  to  hear 
of  the  occurrence,  and  he  told  the  archer  who 
killed  the  squire  that  he  had  done  very  wrong. 

"  But,  my  lord,"  said  the  archer,  "  I  could  not 
have  done  otherwise ;  for  the  man  was  coming 
up  to  us  with  his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand,  and 
we  were  obliged  either  to  kill  him  or  to  be  kill- 
ed ourselves." 

The  archers,  moreover,  told  Sir  Ralph  that 
the  squires  were  in  the  service  of  Sir  John  Hol- 
land. Now  Sir  John  Holland  was  a  half  broth- 
er of  the  king,  being  the  child  of  his  mother, 
the  Princess  of  Wales,  by  a  former  husband. 
"When  Sir  Ralph  heard  this,  he  was  still  more 
alarmed  than  before.  He  told  the  archers  who 
killed  the  squire  that  they  must  go  and  hide 
themselves  somewhere  until  the  affair  could  be 
arranged. 

"  I  will  negotiate  with  Lord  Holland  for  your 
pardon,"  said  he,  "  either  through  my  father  or 
hi  some  other  way.  But,  in  the  mean  time, 
you  must  keep  yourselves  closely  concealed." 

The  Earl  of  Stafford,  Lord  Ralph  Stafford's 
father,  was  a  nobleman  of  the  very  highest  rank, 
and  of  great  influence. 

It  is  a  curious  indication  of  the  ideas  that  pre- 
vailed in  those  days,  and  of  the  relations  that 
subsisted  between  the  nobles  and  their  depend- 


THE  REIGN.  305 

Lord  Holland  is  enraged.         He  meets  Lord  Stafford  in  a  narrow  lane. 

ants,  that  the  slaughter  of  a  man  in  an  affray 
of  this  kind  was  a  matter  to  be  arranged  be- 
tween the  masters  respectively  of  the  men  en- 
gaged  in  it. 

The  archers  went  away  to  hide  themselves 
until  Lord  Ralph  could  arrange  the  matter. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  squire  who  had  escaped 
in  the  fray  hurried  home  and  related  the  mat- 
ter to  Lord  Holland.  Lord  Holland  was  great- 
ly enraged.  He  uttered  dreadful  imprecations 
against  Lord  Ralph  Stafford  and  against  Sir 
Miles,  whom  he  seemed  to  consider  responsible 
for  the  death  of  his  squire,  and  declared  that  he 
would  not  sleep  until  he  had  had  his  revenge. 
So  he  mounted  his  horse,  and,  taking  some 
trusty  attendants  with  him,  rode  into  Bever- 
ley,  and  asked  where  Sir  Miles's  lodgings  were. 
While  he  was  going  toward  the  place,  breath- 
ing fury  and  death,  suddenly,  in  a  narrow  lane, 
he  came  upon  Lord  Ralph,  who  was  then  going 
to  find  him,  in  order  to  arrange  about  the  mur- 
der. It  was  now,  however,  late  in  the  evening, 
arid  so  dark  that  the  parties  did  not  at  first 
know  each  other. 

"  Who  comes  here?"  said  Lord  Holland,  when 
he  saw  Sir  Ralph  approaching. 

"  I  am  Stafford,"  replied  Sir  Ralph. 

"You  are  the  very  man  I  want  to  see,"  said 
8—20 


306  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Stafford  ia  killed.  J.ord  Holland's,  unconcern. 

Lord  Holland.    "  One  of  your  servants  has  kill- 
ed my  squire — the  one  that  I  loved  so  much." 

As  he  said  this,  he  brought  down  so  heavy  a 
blow  upon»  Sir  Ralph's  head  as  to  fell  him  from 
his  horse  to  the  ground.  He  then  rode  on. 
The  attendants  hurried  to  the  spot  and  raised 
Sir  Ralph  up.  They  found  him  faint  and  bleed- 
ing, and  in  a  few  moments  he  died. 

As  soon  as  this  fact  was  ascertained,  one  of 
the  men  rode  on  after  Lord  Holland,  and,  com- 
ing up  to  him,  said, 

"  My  lord,  you  have  killed  Lord  Stafford." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Lord  Holland ;  "  I  am 
glad  of  it.  I  would  rather  it  would  be  a  man 
of  his  rank  than  any  body  else,  for  so  I  am  the 
more  completely  revenged  for  the  death  of  my 
squire." 

As  fast  as  the  tidings  of  these  events  spread, 
they  produced  universal  excitement.  The  Ear] 
of  Stafford,  the  father  of  Sir  Ralph,  was  plunged 
into  the  most  inconsolable  grief  at  the  death  oi 
his  son.  The  earl  was  one  of  the  most  power 
fill  nobles  in  the  army,  and,  if  he  had  under- 
taken to  avenge  himself  on  Lord  Holland,  the 
whole  expedition  would  perhaps  have  been 
broken  up  into  confusion.  On  the  king's  sol- 
emn assurance  that  Holland  would  be  punish- 
ed, he  was  appeased  for  the  time ;  but  then  the 


THE  REIGN.  307 

Richard's  perplexity  and  dit-tiv.s<.  His  mother's  anguish. 

Princess  of  Wales,  Richard's  mother,  who  was 
Lord  Holland's  mother  too,  was  thrown  into  the 
greatest  state  of  anxiety  and  distress.  She  im- 
plored Richard  to  save  his  brother's  life.  All 
the  other  nobles  and  knights  took  sides  too  in 
the  quarrel,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  that  the 
dissension  would  never  be  healed.  Lord  Hol- 
land, in  the  mean  while,  fled  to  the  church  at 
Beverley,  and  took  sanctuary  there.  By  the 
laws  and  customs  of  the  time,  they  could  not 
touch  him  until  he  came  voluntarily  out. 

Richard  resisted  all  the  entreaties  of  his  moth- 
er to  spare  the  murderer's  life  until  he  found 
that  her  anxiety  and  distress  were  preying  upon 
her  health  so  much  that  he  feared  that  she 
would  die.  At  last,  to  save  his  mother's  life, 
he  promised  that  Holland  should  be  spared. 
But  it  was  too  late.  His  mother  fell  into  a  de- 
cline, and  at  length  died,  as  it  was  said,  of  a 
broken  heart.  What  a  dreadful  death !  that 
of  a  mother  worn  out  by  the  agony  of  long-con- 
tinued and  apparently  fruitless  efforts  to  pre- 
vent one  of  her  children  from  being  the  execu- 
tioner of  another  for  the  crime  of  murder. 

Besides  these  fierce,  deadly  contests  among 
the  knights  and  nobles,  the  ladies  of  the  court 
had  their  feuds  and  quarrels  too.  They  were 
often  divided  into  cliques  and  parties,  and  were 


3C8  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Extraordinary  marriage  of  the  Duke  of  Lancaster. 

full  of  envy  ings,  jealousies,  and  resentments 
against  each  other.  One  of  the  most  serious  of 
these  difficulties  was  occasioned  by  a  marriage 
of  the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  which  took  place  to- 
ward the  close  of  his  life.  This  was  his  third 
marriage,  he  having  been  successively  married 
to  two  ladies  of  high  rank  before.  The  lady 
whom  he  now  married  was  of  a  comparatively 
humble  station  in  life.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  a  foreign  knight.  Her  name,  originally,  was 
Catharine  de  Rouet.  She  had  been,  in  her  ear- 
ly life,  a  maiden  in  attendance  on  the  Duchess 
of  Lancaster,  the  duke's  second  wife.  While 
she  was  in  his  family  the  duke  formed  a  guilty 
intimacy  with  her,  which  was  continued  for  a 
long  time.  They  had  three  children.  The 
duke  provided  well  for  these  children,  and  gave 
them  a  good  education.  After  a  time,  the  duke, 
becoming  tired  of  her,  arranged  for  her  to  be 
married  to  a  certain  knight  named  Swinton, 
and  she  lived  with  this  knight  for  some  time, 
until  at  length  he  died,  and  Catharine  became  a 
widow. 

The  Duchess  of  Lancaster  died  also,  and  then 
the  duke  became  for  the  second  time  a  widow- 
er, and  he  now  conceived  the  idea  of  making 
Catharine  Swinton  his  wife.  His  motive  for 
this  was  not  his  love  for  her,  for  that,  it  is  said, 


THE  REIGN.  309 

Indignation  and  rage  of  the  ladies  of  the  court. 

had  passed  away,  but  his  regard  for  the  chil- 
dren, who,  on  the  marriage  of  their  mother  to 
the  father  of  the  children,  would  be  legitima- 
tized, and  would  thus  become  entitled  to  many 
legal  rights  and  privileges  from  which  they 
would  otherwise  be  debarred.  The  other  la- 
dies of  the  court,  however,  particularly  the 
wives  of  the  other  dukes — the  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster's brothers — were  greatly  incensed  when 
they  heard  of  this  proposed  marriage,  and  they 
did  all  they  possibly  could  do  to  prevent  it. 
All  was,  however,  of  no  avail,  for  the  Duke  of 
Lancaster  was  not  a  man  to  be  easily  thwarted 
in  any  determination  that  he  might  take  into 
his  head.  So  he  was  married,  and  the  poor  de- 
spised Catharine  was  made  the  first  duchess  in 
the  realm,  and  became  entitled  to  take  prece- 
dence of  all  the  other  duchesses. 

This  the  other  duchesses  could  not  endure. 
They  could  not  bear  it,  they  said,  and  they 
would  not  bear  it.  They  declared  that  they 
would  not  go  into  any  place  where  this  woman, 
as  they  called  her,  was  to  be.  As  might  have 
been  expected,  an  interminable  amount  of  quar- 
reling and  ill-will  grew  out  of  this  affair. 

About  the  time  of  this  marriage  of  the  duke, 
the  king  himself  was  married  a  second  time,  as 
will  be  related  in  the  next  chapter. 


310  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1395. 

Some  account  of  Isabella  of  France,  the  little  queen. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  LITTLE  QUEEN. 

KING  EICHAED'S  second  wife  was  called 
the  little  queen,  because  she  was  so  young 
and  small  when  she  was  married.  She  was 
only  about  nine  years  old  at  that  time.  The 
story  of  this  case  will  show  a  little  how  the 
marriages  of  kings  and  princesses  in  those  days 
were  managed. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  death  of  good  Queen 
Anne  before  some  of  Eichard's  courtiers  and 
counselors  began  to  advise  him  to  be  married 
again.  He  replied,  as  men  always  do  in  such 
cases,  that  he  did  not  know  where  to  find  a 
wife.  The  choice  was  indeed  not  very  large, 
being  restricted  by  etiquette  to  the  royal  fami- 
lies of  England  and  of  the  neighboring  coun- 
tries. Several  princesses  were  proposed  one 
after  another,  but  Eichard  did  not  seem  to  like 
any  of  them.  Among  other  ladies,  one  of  his 
cousins  was  proposed  to  him,  a  daughter  of  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester.  But  Eichard  said  no; 
she  was  too  nearly  related  to  him. 

At  last  he  took  it  into  his  head  that  he  should 


A.D.1395.]  THE  LITTLE  QUEEN.         311 

Richard  opens  negotiations  with  the  King  of  France. 

like  to  marry  little  Isabella,  the  Princess  of 
France,  then  about  nine  years  old.  The  idea 
of  his  being  married  to  Isabella  was  calculated 
to  surprise  people  for  two  reasons :  first,  be- 
cause Isabella  was  so  small,  and,  secondly,  be- 
cause the  King  of  France,  her  father,  was  Rich- 
ard's greatest  and  most  implacable  enemy. 
France  and  England  had  been  on  bad  terms 
with  each  other  not  only  during  the  whole  of 
Eichard's  reign,  but  through  a  great  number  of 
reigns  preceding ;  and  now,  just  before  the 
period  when  this  marriage  was  proposed,  the 
two  nations  had  been  engaged  in  a  long  and 
sanguinary  war.  But  Richard  said  that  he  was 
going  to  make  peace,  and  that  this  marriage  was 
to  be  the  means  of  confirming  it. 

"But  she  is  altogether  too  young  for  your 
majesty,"  said  Richard's  counselors.  "  She  is 
a  mere  child." 

"True,"  said  the  king;  "but  that  is  an  ob- 
jection which  will  grow  less  and  less  every 
year.  Besides,  I  am  in  no  haste.  I  am  young 
enough  myself  to  wait  till  she  grows  up,  and,  in 
the  mean  time,  I  can  have  her  trained  and  edu- 
cated to  suit  me  exactly." 

So,  after  a  great  deal  of  debate  among  the 
king's  counselors  and  in  Parliament,  it  was 
finally  decided  to  send  a  grand  embassage  to 


312  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1395. 

A  grand  embasRage  gent  to  France.  Their  reception. 

Paris  to  propose  to  the  King  of  France  that  he 
should  give  his  little  daughter  Isabella  in  mar- 
riage to  Richard,  King  of  England. 

This  embassage  consisted  of  an  archbishop, 
two  earls,  and  twenty  knights,  attended  each  by 
two  squires,  making  forty  squires  in  all,  and 
five  hundred  horsemen.  The  party  proceeded 
from  London  to  Dover,  then  crossed  to  Calais, 
which  was  at  this  time  an  English  possession, 
and  thence  proceeded  to  Paris. 

When  they  arrived  at  Paris  they  entered  the 
city  with  great  pomp  and  parade,  being  received 
with  great  honor  by  the  French  king,  and  they 
were  lodged  sumptuously  in  quarters  provided 
for  them. 

The  embassadors  were  also  very  honorably 
received  at  court.  The  king  invited  them  to 
dine  with  him,  and  entertained  them  handsome- 
ly, but  many  objections  were  made  to  the  pro- 
posed marriage. 

"  How  can  we,"  said  the  French  counselors, 
"  give  a  Princess  of  France  in  marriage  to  our 
worst  and  bitterest  enemy  ?" 

To  this  the  embassadors  replied  that  the  mar- 
riage would  establish  and  confirm  a  permanent 
peace  between  the  two  countries. 

Then  there  was  another  objection.  Isabella 
was  already  engaged.  She  had  been  betrothed 


THE  LITTLE  QUICEN.  313 

Interview  of  the  embassadors  with  little  Isabella. 

some  time  before  to  the  son  of  a  duke  of  one  of 
the  neighboring  countries.  But  the  embassa- 
dors said  that  they  thought  this  could  be  ar- 
ranged. 

While  these  negotiations  were  going  on,  the 
embassadors  asked  permission  to  see  the  prin- 
cess. This  at  first  the  king  and  queen,  Isabel- 
la's father  and  mother,  declined.  They  said 
that  she  was  only  eight  or  nine  years  old,  and 
that  such  a  child  would  not  know  at  all  how  to 
conduct  at  such  an  interview. 

However,  the  interview  was  granted  at  last. 
The  embassadors  were  conducted  to  an  apart- 
ment in  the  palace  of  the  Louvre,  where  the 
princess  and  her  parents  were  ready  to  receive 
them.  On  coming  into  the  presence  of  the 
child,  the  chief  embassador  advanced  to  her, 
and,  kneeling  down  before  her,  he  said, 

"  Madam,  if  it  please  God,  you  shall  be  our 
lady  and  queen." 

The  princess  looked  at  him  attentively  while 
tie  said  this.  She  was  a  very  beautiful  child, 
with  a  gentle  and  thoughtful  expression  of  coun- 
tenance, and  large  dark  eyes,  full  of  meaning. 

She  replied  to  the  embassador  of  her  own  ac- 
cord in  a  clear,  childish*  voice, 

"  Sir,  if  it  please  God  and  my  lord  and  fa- 
ther that  I  be  Queen  of  England,  I  should  be 


KING  RICHARD  II. 


The  negotiations  go  on  satisfactorily. 


well  pleased,  for  I  have  been  told  that  there  I  • 
shall  be  a  great  lady." 

Isabella  then  took  the  kneeling  embassador 
by  the  hand  and  lifted  him  up.  She  then  led 
him  to  her  mother. 

The  embassadors  were  extremely  pleased 
with  the  appearance  and  behavior  of  the  prin- 
cess, and  were  more  than  ever  desirous  of  suc- 
ceeding in  their  mission.  But,  after  some  far- 
ther negotiations,  they  received  for  their  answer 
that  the  French  court  were  disposed  to  enter- 
tain favorably  the  proposal  which  Richard  made, 
but  that  nothing  could  be  determined  upon  the 
subject  at  that  time. 

"We  must  wait,"  said  the  king,  "until  we 
can  see  what  arrangement  can  be  made  in  re- 
gard to  the  princess's  present  engagement,  and 
then,  if  King  Richard  will  send  to  us  again, 
next  spring  we  will  give  a  final  answer." 

So  slow  are  the  movements  and  operations 
in  such  a  case  as  this  among  the  great,  that  the 
embassadors  were  occupied  three  weeks  in  Paris 
in  advancing  the  business  to  this  point.  They 
were,  however,  well  satisfied  with  what  they 
had  done,  and  at  length  took  their  leave,  and 
returned  to  London  in  high  spirits  with  their 
success,  and  reported  the  result  to  King  Rich- 
ard. He  himself  was  well  satisfied  too. 


A.D.1396.]  THE  LITTLE   QUEEN.         315 

The  marriage  ceremony  w  performed  by  proxy. 


The  negotiations  went  on  prosperously  dur- 
ing the  winter,  and  in  the  spring  another  em- 
bassage  was  sent,  larger  than  the  preceding. 
The  attendants  of  this  embassage  were  several 
thousand  in  number,  and  they  occupied  a  whole 
street  in  Paris  when  they  arrived  there.  By 
this  embassage  the  arrangement  of  the  marriage 
was  finally  concluded.  The  ceremony  was  in 
fact  performed,  for  Isabella  was  actually  mar- 
ried to  Eichard,  by  proxy  as  it  is  called,  a  cus- 
tomary mode  of  conducting  marriages  between 
a  princess  and  a  king.  One  of  the  embassadors, 
a  grand  officer  of  state,  personated  King  Eich- 
ard on  this  occasion,  and  the  marriage  was  cel- 
ebrated with  the  greatest  possible  pomp  and 
splendor. 

Besides  the  marriage  contracts,  there  were  va- 
rious other  treaties  and  covenants  to  be  drawn 
up,  and  signed  and  sealed.  All  this  business 
required  so  much  time,  that  this  embassage,  like 
the  other,  remained  three  weeks  in  Paris,  and 
then  they  returned  home  to  London,  and  re- 
ported to  Eichard  what  they  had  done. 

Still  the  affair  was  not  yet  fully  settled.  A 
great  many  of  the  nobles  and  the  people  of  En- 
gland very  strenuously  opposed  the  match,  for 
they  wished  the  war  with  France  to  be  contin- 
ued. This  was  particularly  the  case  with  Eich- 


316  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Richard  makes  arra-  gcments  to  go  and  receive  his  bride. 

ard's  uncle,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester.  He  had 
greatly  distinguished  Himself  in  the  war  thus 
far,  and  he  wished  it  to  be  continued ;  so  he 
did  all  he  could  to  oppose  the  consummation  of 
the  marriage,  and  the  negotiations  and  delays 
were  long  protracted.  Eichard,  however,  per- 
severed, and  at,  length  the  obstacles  were  so  far 
removed,  that  in  the  fall  of  1396  he  began  to 
organize  a  grand  expedition  to  go  with  him  to 
the  frontiers  of  France  to  receive  his  bride. 

Immense  preparations  were  made  on  both 
sides  for  the  ceremonial  of  this  visit.  The  meet- 
ing was,  to  take  place  on  the  frontier,  since 
neither  sovereign  dared  to  trust  himself  within 
the  dominions  of  the  other,  for  fear  of  treach- 
ery. For  the  same  reason,  each  one  deemed  it 
necessary  to  take  with  him  a  very  large  armed 
force.  Great  stores  of  provisions  for  the  ex- 
pedition were  accordingly  prepared,  and  sent 
on  beforehand;  portions  being  sent  down  the 
Thames  from  London,  and  the  rest  being  pur- 
chased in  Flanders  and  other  countries  on  the 
Continent,  and  forwarded  to  Calais  by  water. 
The  King  of  France  also,«for  the  use  of  his 
party,  sent  stores  from  Paris  to  all  the  towns  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  frontier. 

Among  the  ladies  of  the  court  on  both  sides 
there  was  universal  emulation  and  excitement 


A.D.1396.]  THE  LITTLE  QUEEN.        317 

Grand  preparations  for  the  expedition. 

in  respect  to  plans  and  preparations  which  they 
had  to  make  for  the  wedding.  Great  numbers 
of  them  were  to  accompany  the  expedition,  and 
nothing  was  talked  of  but  the  dresses  and  dec- 
orations which  they  should  wear,  and  the  parte 
that  they  should  respectively  perform  in  the 
grand  parade.  Hundreds  of  armorers,  and 
smiths,  and  other  artisans  were  employed  in 
repairing  and  embellishing  the  armor  of  the 
knights  and  barons,  and  in  designing  and  exe- 
cuting new  banners,  and  new  caparisons  for  the 
horses,  richer  and  more  splendid  than  were  ever 
known  before. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  heartburning  and 
ill-will  in  respect  to  the  Duke  of  Lancaster's 
new  wife,  with  whom  the  other  ladies  of  the 
court  had  declared  they  would  not  associate  on 
any  terms.  The  king  was  determined  that  she 
should  go  on  the  expedition,  and  the  other  la- 
dies consequently  found  themselves  obliged 
either  to  submit  to  her  presence,  or  forego  the 
grandest  display  which  they  would  ever  have 
the  opportunity  to  witness  as  long  as  they 
should  live.  They  concluded  to  submit,  though 
they  did  it  with  great  reluctance  and  with  a 
very  ill  grace. 

At  length  every  thing  was  ready,  and  the  ex- 
pedition, leaving  London,  journeyed  to  Dover, 


318  KING  KICHARD  II.  [A.D.1396. 

The  meeting  on  the  1-  rench  frontier.  The  pavilions. 

and  then  crossed  the  Straits  to  Calais.  A  long 
time  was  then  consumed  in  negotiations  in  re- 
spect to  the  peace ;  for,  although  Kichard  him- 
self was  willing  to  m'ake  peace  on  almost  any 
terms,  so  that  he  might  obtain  his  little  bride, 
his  uncles  and  the  other  leading  nobles  made 
great  difficulties,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before 
the  treaties  could  be  arranged.  At  length,  how- 
ever, every  thing  was  settled,  and  the  prepara- 
tions were  made  for  delivering  to  Eichard  his 
bride. 

Two  magnificent  pavilions  were  erected  near 
the  frontier,  one  on  the  French  and  the  other 
on  the  English  side.  These  pavilions  were  for 
the  use  of  the  two  monarchs  respectively,  and 
of  their  lords  and  nobles.  Then,  in  the  centre, 
between  these,  and,  of  course,  exactly  upon  the 
frontier,  a  third  and  more  open  pavilion  was  set 
up.  In  this  central  pavilion  the  two  kings- 
were  to  have  their  first  meeting.  For  either  of 
the  kings  to  have  entered  first  into  the  domin- 
ions of  the  other  would  have  been,  in  some 
sense,  an  acknowledgment  of  inferiority  on  his 
part.  So  it  was  contrived  that  neither  should 
first  visit  the  other,  but  that  they  should  ad- 
vance together,  each  from  his  own  pavilion, 
and  meet  in  the  central  one,  after  which  they 
could  visit  each  other  as  it  might  be  convenient. 


THE  LITTLE  QUEEN.  319 

Precautions  to  guard  against  violence  or  treachery. 

The  first  interview  therefore  took  place  in  the 
-centre  pavilion.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to 
take  some  strong  precautions  against  treachery. 
Accordingly,  before  the  meeting,  an  oath  wag 
administered  to  both  monarchs,  by  which  each 
one  solemnly  asseverated  that  he  was  acting  in 
good  faith  in  this  transaction,  and  that  he  had 
no  secret  reservation  or  treachery  in  his  heart, 
and  pledged  his  sacred  honor  that  the  other 
should  suffer  no  violence,  damage,  molestation, 
arrest,  constraint,  or  any  other  inconvenience 
whatever  during  the  interview. 

As  an  additional  precaution,  a  strong  force, 
consisting  of  four  hundred  knights  on  each  side, 
all  fully  armed,  were  drawn  up  on  opposite  sides 
of  the  central  pavilion,  the  English  troops  on 
the  English  side,  and  the  French  on  the  French 
side.*  These  troops  were  arranged  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  King  of  England  should  pass 
between  the  ranks  of  the  English  knights  in 
going  to  the  pavilion,  and  the  French  king  be- 
tween the  French  knights. 

Things  being  thus  arranged,  at  the  appointed 
hour  the  two  kings  set  out  together  from  their 

own  pavilions,  and  walked,  accompanied  each 

/ 

*  Besides  these  knights,  each  of  the  kings  had  a  strong 
force  stationed  in  reserve,  at  a  little  distance  from  their  re- 
spective pavilions,  to  be  ready  in  case  of  any  difficulty. 


320  KING  RICHARD  II. 

Ceremonious  interviews.  Grand  entertainment. 

by  a  number  of  dukes  and  nobles  of  high  rank, 
to  the  central  pavilion.  Here  the  kings,  both 
being  uncovered,  approached  each  other.  They 
saluted  each  other  in  a  very  friendly  manner, 
and  held  a  brief  conversation  together.  Some 
of  the  accounts  say  that  the  French  king,  then 
taking  the  English  king  by  the  hand,  led  him 
to  the  French  tent,  the  French  dukes  who  had 
accompanied  him  following  with  the  English 
dukes  who  had  accompanied  Richard,  and  that 
there  the  whole  party  partook  of  refreshment. 

However  this  may  be,  the  first  interview 
was  one  mainly  of  ceremony.  Afterward  there 
were  other  interviews  in  the  different  pavilions. 
These  alternating  visits  were  continued  for  sev- 
eral days,  until  at  length  the  time  was  appoint- 
ed for  a  final  meeting,  at  which  the  little  queen. 
was  to  be  delivered  into  her  husband's  hands. 

This  final  grand  ceremony  took  place  in  the 
French  pavilion.  The  order  of  proceeding  was 
as  follows.  First  there  was  a  grand  entertain- 
ment. The  table  was  splendidly  laid  out,  and 
there  was  a  sideboard  loaded  with  costly  plate. 
At  the  table  the  kings  were  waited  upon  by 
dukes.  During  the  dinner,  Richard  talked  with 
the  King  of  France  about  his  wife,  and  about 
the  peace  which  was  now  so  happily  confirmed 
and  established  between  the  two  countries. 


THE  LITTLE  QUEEN.  321 

Richard  receives  his  bride.  The  palanquin. 

After  dinner  the  cloth  was  removed  and  the 
tables  were  taken  away.  "When  the  pavilion 
was  cleared  a  door  was  opened,  and  a  party  of 
ladies  of  the  French  court,  headed  by  the  queen, 
came  in,  conducting  the  little  princess.  As  soon 
as  she  had  entered,  the  King  of  France  took  her 
by  the  hand  and  led  her  to  Eichard.  Eichard 
received  her  with  a  warm  welcome,  and,  lifting 
her  up  in  Tiis  arms,  kissed  her.  He  told  the 
King  of  France  that  he  was  fully  sensible  of  the 
value  of  such  a  gift,  and  that  he  received  it  as 
a  pledge  of  perpetual  amity  and  peace  between 
the  two  countries.  He  also,  as  had  been  pre- 
viously agreed  upon,  solemnly  renounced  all 
claim  to  the  throne  of  France  on  account  of 
Isabella  or  her  descendants,  forever. 

He  then  immediately  committed  the  princess 
to  the  hands  of  the  Duchess  of  Lancaster  and 
the  other  ladies,  and  they  at  once  conveyed  her 
to  the  door  of  the  tent.  Here  there  was  a  sort 
of  palanquin,  magnificently  made  and  adorned, 
waiting  to  receive  her.  The  princess  was  put 
into  this  palanquin,  and  immediately  set  out 
for  Calais.  Eichard  and  the  immense  train  of 
knights  and  nobles  followed,  and  thus,  at  a  very 
rapid  pace,  the  whole  party  returned  to  Calais. 

A  few  days  after  this  the  marriage  ceremony 
was  performed  anew  between  Eichard  and  Isa- 
8—21 


322  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1396. 

Excitement  in  London.  Reception  of  the  little  queen. 

bella,  Richard  himself  being  personally  present 
this  time.  Great  was  the  parade  and  great  the 
rejoicing  on  this  occasion.  After  the  marriage, 
the  little  queen  was  again  put  under  the  charge 
of  the  Duchess  of  Lancaster  and  the  other  En- 
glish ladies  who  had  been  appointed  to  receive 
her. 

In  the  mean  time,  all  London  was  becoming 
•every  day  more  and  more  excited  in  expecta- 
tion of  the  arrival  of  the  bridal  party  there. 
Great  preparations  were  made  for  receiving 
them.  At  length,  about  a  fortnight  after  tak- 
ing leave  of  her  father,  Isabella  arrived  in  Lon- 
don. She  spent  the  first  night  at  the  Tower, 
and  on  the  following  day  passed  through  Lon- 
don to  "Westminster  in  a  grand  procession.  An 
immense  concourse  of  people  assembled  on  the 
occasion.  Indeed,  such  was  the  eagerness  of 
the  people  to  see  the  queen  on  her  arrival  in 
London,  that  there  were  nine  persons  crushed 
to  death  by  the  crowd  on  London  Bridge  when 
she  was  passing  over  it. 

The  queen  took  up  her  residence  at  Windsor 
Cas  le,  where  she  was  under  the  charge  of  the 
Du_hess  of  Lancaster  and  other  ladies,  who  were 
to  superintend  her  education.  King  Richard 
used  to  come  and  visit  her  very  often,  and  on 
such  occasions  she  was  excused  from  her  stud- 


A.D.1396.]  THE  LITTLE  QUEEN.        323 

The  little  queen's  mode  of  life  in  England. 

ies,  and  so  she  was  always  glad  to  see  him ; 
besides,  he  used  to  talk  with  her  and  play  with 
her  in  a  very  friendly  and  affectionate  manner. 
He  was  now  about  thirty  years  old,  and  she 
was  ten.  He,  however,  liked  her  very  muchr 
for  she  was  very  beautiful,  and  very  amiable 
and  affectionate  in  her  manners.  She  liked  to 
have  Richard  come  and  see  her  too,  for  his  vis- 
its not  only  released  her  for  the  time  from  her 
studies,  but  he  was  very  gentle  and  kind  to  her, 
and  he  used  to  play  to  her  on  musical  instru- 
ments, and  sing  to  her,  and  amuse  her  in  vari- 
ous other  ways.  She  admired,  moreover,  the 
splendor  of  his  dress,  for  he  always  came  in 
very  magnificent  apparel. 

In  a  word,  Richard  and  his  little  queen,  not- 
withstanding the  disparity  of  their  years,  were 
both  very  well  pleased  with  the  match  which 
they  had  made.  Richard  was  proud  of  the 
youth  and  beauty  of  his  wife,  and  Isabella  was 
proud  of  the  greatness,  power,  and  glory  of  her 
husband. 


324  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1397. 

Difficulties  of  Richard's  position.  Hia  rivals. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 
RICHARD'S  DEPOSITION  AND  DEATH. 

IT  was  not  long  after  Eichard's  marriage  to 
the  little  queen  before  the  troubles  and  dif- 
ficulties in  which  his  government  was  involved 
increased  in  a  very  alarming  degree.  The  feuds 
among  his  uncles,  and  between  his  uncles  and 
himself,  increased  in  frequency  and  bitterness, 
and  many  plots  and  counterplots  were  formed 
in  respect  to  tlie  succession ;  for  Isabella  being 
so  young,  it  was  very  doubtful  whether  she 
would  grow  up  and  have  children,  and,  unless 
she  did  so,  some  one  or  other  of  Richard's  cous- 
ms  would  be  heir  to  the  crown.  I  have  spoken 
of  his  cousin  Henry  of  Bolingbroke  as  the  prin- 
cipal of  these  claimants.  There  was,  however, 
another  one,  Roger,  the  Earl  of  March.  Roger 
was  the  grandson  of  Richard's  uncle  Lionel,  who 
had  died  long  before.  The  Duke  of  Glouces- 
ter, who  had  been  so  bitterly  opposed  to  Rich- 
ard's marriage  with  Isabella,  and  had,  as  it  seem- 
ed, now  become  his  implacable  enemy,  conceiv- 
ed the  plan  of  deposing  Richard  and  making 
Eoger  king.  Isabella,  if  this  plan  had  been  car- 


A.D.1397.]  THE  DEPOSITION.  325 

Plot  discovered.  Kichard  arrests  his  uncle  Gloucester. 


ried  into  effect,  was  to  have  been  shut  up  in  a 
prison  for  all  the  rest  of  her  days.  There  were 
several  great  nobles  joined  with  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester  in  this  conspiracy. 

The  plot  was  betrayed  to  Richard  by  some 
of  the  confederates.  Richard  immediately  de- 
termined to  arrest  his  uncle  and  bring  him  to 
trial.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to  do  this  se- 
cretly, before  any  of  the  conspirators  should  be 
put  upon  their  guard.  So  he  set  off  one  night 
from  his  palace  in  Westminster,  with  a  consid- 
erable company  of  armed  men,  to  go  to  the 
duke's  palace,  which  was  at  some  distance  from 
London,  planning  his  journey  so  as  to  arrive 
there  very  early  in  the  morning.  The  people 
of  London,  when  they  saw  the  king  passing  at 
that  late  hour,  wondered  where  he  was  going. 

He  arrived  very  early  the  next  morning  at 
the  duke's  castle.  He  sent  some  of  his  men  for- 
ward into  the  court  of  the  castle  to  ask  if  the 
duke  were  at  home.  The  servants  said  that 
he  was  at  home,  but  he  was  not  yet  up.  So 
the  messengers  sent  up  to  him  in  his  bed-cham- 
ber to  inform  him  that  the  king  was  below,  and 
to  ask  him  to  come  down  and  receive  him. 
Gloucester  accordingly  came  down.  He  was 
much  surprised,  but  he  knew  that  it  would  be 
very  unwise  for  him  to  show  any  suspicion,  and 


326  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1397. 

Extraordinary  circumstances  of  the  arrest. 

so,  after  welcoming  the  king,  he  asked  what 
was  the  object  of  so  early  a  visit.  The  king 
assumed  a  gay  and  unconcerned  air,  as  if  he 
were  out  upon  some  party  of  pleasure,  and  said 
he  wished  the  duke  to  go  away  with  him  a 
short  distance.  So  the  duke  dressed  himself 
and  mounted  his  horse,  the  king,  in  the  mean 
time,  talking  in  a  merry  way  with  the  ladies  of 
the  castle  who  had  come  down  into  the  court 
to  receive  him.  When  they  were  ready  the 
whole  party  rode  out  of  the  court,  and  then  the 
king,  suddenly  changing  his  tone,  ordered  his 
men  to  arrest  the  duke  and  take  him  away. 

The  duke  was  never  again  seen  or  heard  of 
in  England,  and  for  a  long  time  it  was  not 
known  what  had  become  of  him.  It  was,  how- 
ever, at  last  said,  and  generally  believed,  that 
he  was  put  on  board  a  ship,  and  sent  secretly 
to  Calais,  and  shut  up  in  a  castle  there,  and  was, 
after  a  time,  strangled  by  means  of  feather  beds, 
or,  as  others  say,  by  wet  towels  put  over  his 
face,  in  obedience  to  orders  sent  to  the  castle 
by  Richard.  Several  other  great  noblemen, 
whom  Richard  supposed  to  be  confederates  with 
Gloucester,  were  arrested  by  similar  stratagems. 
Two  or  three  of  the  most  powerful  of  them  were 
brought  to  a  trial  before  judges  in  Richard's  in- 
terest, and,  being  condemned,  were  beheaded. 


THE  DEPOSITION.  327 

Richard  becomes  extremely  unpopular.  His  excesses. 

It  is  supposed  that  Richard  did  not  dare  to 
bring  Gloucester  himself  to  trial,  on  account  of 
the  great  popularity  and  vast  influence  which 
he  enjoyed  among  the  people  of  England. 

Kichard  was  very  much  pleased  with  the  suc- 
cess of  his  measures  for  thus  putting  the  most 
formidable  of  his  enemies  out  of  the  way,  and 
not  long  after  this  his  cousin  Roger  died,  so 
that  Richard  was  henceforth  relieved  of  all  spe- 
cial apprehension  on  his  account.  But  the 
country  was  extremely  dissatisfied.  The  Duke 
of  Gloucester  had  been  very  much  respected 
and  beloved  by  the  nation.  Richard  was  hated. 
His  government  was  tyrannical.  His  style  of 
living  was  so  extravagant  that  his  expenses 
were  enormous,  and  the  people  were  taxed  be- 
yond endurance  to  raise  the  money  required. 
While,  however,  he  thus  spared  no  expense  to 
secure  his  own  personal  aggrandizement  and 
glory,  it  was  generally  believed  that  he  cared 
little  for  the  substantial  interests  of  the  coun- 
try, but  was  ready  to  sacrifice  them  at  any  time 
to  promote  his  own  selfish  ends. 

In  the  mean  time,  having  killed  the  princi- 
pal leaders  opposed  to  him,  for  a  time  he  had 
every  thing  his  own  way.  He  obtained  the 
control  of  Parliament,  and  caused  the  most  un- 
just and  iniquitous  laws  to  be  passed,  the  ob- 


828  KING  RICHARD  li. 


Remorse.  His  fear  of  Henry  Bollngbroka. 

ject  of  which  was  to  supply  him  more  and  more 
fully  with  money,  and  to  increase  still  more  his 
own  personal  power.  He  went  on  in  this  way 
until  the  country  was  almost  ripe  for  rebellion. 

Still,  with  all  his  wealth  and  splendor,  Rich- 
ard was  not  happy;  He  was  harassed  by  per- 
petual suspicions  and  anxieties,  and  his  con- 
science tortured  him  with  reproaches  for  the 
executions  which  he  had  procured  of  his  uncle 
Gloucester  and  the  other  noblemen,  particular- 
ly the  Earl  of  Arundel,  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful and  wealthy  nobles  of  England.  He  used 
to  awake  from  his  sleep  at  night  in  horror,  cry- 
ing out  that  the  blood  of  the  earl  was  all  over 
his  bed. 

He  was  afraid  continually  of  his  cousin  Hen- 
ry, who  was  now  in  the  direct  line  of  succession 
to  the  crown,  and  whom  he  imagined  to  be  con- 
spiring against  him.  He  wished  very  much  to 
find  some  means  of  removing  him  out  of  the 
way.  An  opportunity  at  length  presented  it- 
self. There  was  a  quarrel  between  Henry  and 
a  certain  nobleman  named  Norfolk.  Each  ac- 
cused the  other  of  treasonable  designs.  There 
was  a  long  difficulty  about  it,  and  several  plans 
were  formed  for  a  trial  of  the  case.  At  last  it 
was  determined  that  there  should  be  a  trial  by 
single  combat  between  the  parties,  to  determ- 


THE  DEPOSITION.  329 

Coventry.  Preparation  for  the  combat.  The  combat  arrested. 

ine  the  question  which  of  them  was  the  true 
man. 

The  town  of  Coventry,  which  is  in  the  cen- 
tral part  of  England,  was  appointed  for  this 
•combat.  The  lists  were  prepared,  a  pavilion 
for  the  use  of  the  king  and  those  who  were  to 
act  as  judges  was  erected,  and  an  immense  con- 
course of  spectators  assembled  to  witness  the 
contest.  All  the  preliminary  ceremonies  were 
performed,  as  usual  in  those  days  in  personal 
combats  of  this  character,  except  that  in  this 
case  the  combatants  were  to  fight  on  horseback. 
They  came  into  the  lists  with  horses  magnifi- 
cently caparisoned.  Norfolk's  horse  was  cov- 
ered with  crimson  velvet,  and  the  trappings  of 
Henry's  were  equally  splendid.  When  all  was 
ready,  the  signal  was  given,  and  the  battle  com- 
menced. After  the  combatants  had  made  a  few 
passes  at  each  other  without  effect,  the  king 
made  a  signal,  and  the  heralds  cried  out,  Ho ! 
Ho !  which  was  an  order  for  them  to  stop.  The 
king  then  directed  that  their  arms  should  be 
taken  from  them,  and  that  they  should  dis- 
mount, and  take  their  places  in  certain  chairs 
which  had  been  provided  for  them  within  the 
lists.  These  chairs  were  very  gorgeous  in  style 
and  workmanship,  being  covered  with  velvet, 
and  elegantly  embroidered. 


330  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.1398. 


Henry  is  banished  from  England. 


The  assembly  waited  a  long  time  while  the 
king  and  those  with  him  held  a  consultation. 
At  length  the  king  announced  that  the  combat 
was  to  proceed  no  farther,  but  that  both  parties- 
were  deemed  guilty,  and  that  they  were  both  to- 
be  banished  from  the  realm.  The  term  of  Hen- 
ry's banishment  was  ten  years ;  Norfolk's  was 
for  life. 

The  country  was  greatly  incensed  at  this  de- 
cision. There  was  no  proof  whatever  that  Hen  - 
ry  had  done  any  thing  wrong.  Henry,  howev- 
er, submitted  to  the  king's  decree,  apparently- 
without  murmuring,  and  took  his  departure. 
As  he  journeyed  toward  Dover,  where  he  was 
to  embark,  the  people  flocked  around  him  at  all 
the  towns  and  villages  that  he  passed  through, 
and  mourned  his  departure ;  and  when  finally 
he  embarked  at  Dover  and  went  away,  they 
said  that  the  only  shield,  defense,  and  comfort 
of  the  commonwealth  was  gone. 

Henry  went  to  Paris,  and  there  told  his  story 
to  the  King  of  France.  The  king  took  his  part 
very  decidedly.  He  received  him  in  a  very 
cordial  and  friendly  manner,  and  condemned 
the  course  which  Eichard  had  pursued. 

Another  circumstance  occurred  to  alienate- 
the  King  of  France  still  more  from  Richard. 
There  was  a  certain  French  lady,  named  De 


A.D.1398.]  THE  DEPOSITION.  331 

<Ja8e  of  Lady  De  Courcy.  Her  dismissal  from  office. 

Oourcy,  who  had  come  from  France  with  the 
little  queen,  and  had  since  occupied  a  high  po- 
sition in  the  queen's  household.  She  was  Isa- 
bella's governess  and  principal  lady  of  honor. 
'This  lady,  it  seemed,  lived  in  quite  an  expens- 
ive style,  and  by  her  influence  and  manage- 
ment greatly  increased  the  expense  of  the 
queen's  establishment,  which  was,  of  course,  en- 
tirely independent  of  that  of  the  king.  This 
Lady  De  Courcy  kept  eighteen  horses  for  her 
own  personal  use,  and  maintained  a  large  train 
of  attendants  to  accompany  her  in  state  when- 
-ever  she  appeared  in  public.  She  had  two  or 
three  goldsmiths  and  jewelers,  and  two  or  three 
furriers,  and  a  proportionate  number  of  other 
.artisans  all  the  time  at  work,  making  her  dress- 
es and  decorations.  Eichard,  under  pretense 
that  he  could  not  afford  all  this,  dismissed  the 
Lady  De  Courcy  from  her  office,  and  sent  her 
home  to  France.  Of  course  she  was  very  in- 
dignant at  this  treatment,  and  she  set  out  on 
her  return  home,  prepared  to  give  the  King  of 
France  a  very  unfavorable  account  of  his  son- 
in-law.  It  was  some  time  after  this,  however, 
before  she  arrived  at  Paris. 

About  three  months  after  Henry  of  Boling- 
broke  was  banished  from  the  realm,  his  father, 
the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  died.  He  left  immense 


332  KING  EICHARD  II. 


Richard  seizes  his  cousin  Henry's  estates. 


estates,  which  of  right  should  have  descended 
to  his  son.  Richard  had  given  Henry  leave  to 
appoint  an  attorney  to  act  as  his  agent  during 
his  banishment,  and  take  care  of  his  property ; 
but,  instead  of  allowing  this  attorney  to  take 
possession  of  these  estates,  and  hold  them  for 
Henry  until  he  should  return,  the  king  confis- 
cated them,  and  seized  them  himself.  He  also,, 
at  the  same  time,  revoked  the  powers  which  he 
had  granted  to  the  attorney.  This  transaction 
awakened  one  general  burst  of  indignation  from 
one  end  of  England  to  the  other,  and  greatly 
increased  the  hatred  which  the  people  bore  to 
the  king,  and  the  favor  with  which  they  were 
disposed  to  regard  Henry. 

It  must  be  admitted,  in  justice  to  Richard, 
that  his  mind  was  greatly  harassed  at  this  time 
with  the  troubles  and  difficulties  that  surround- 
ed him,  and  with  his  want  of  money.  To  com- 
plete his  misfortunes,  a  rebellion  broke  out  in 
Ireland.  He  felt  compelled  to  go  himself  and 
quell  it.  So  he  collected  all  the  money  that  he 
could  obtain,  and  raised  an  army  and  equipped 
a  fleet  to  go  across  the  Irish  Sea.  He  left  hi* 
uncle,  the  Duke  of  York,  regent  during  his  ab- 
sence. 

Before  setting  out  for  Ireland,  the  king  went 
to  Windsor  to  bid  the  little  queen  good-by.  He 


THE  DEPOSITION.  333 

Ireland.  Richard's  farewell  to  the  little  queen. 


took  his  leave  of  her  in  a  church  at  Windsor, 
where  she  accompanied  him  to  mass.  On  leav- 
ing the  church  after  service,  he  partook  of  wine 
and  refreshments  with  her  at  the  door,  and  then 
lifting  her  up  in  his  arms,  he  kissed  her  many 
times,  saying, 

"Adieu,  madame.  Adieu  till  we  meet  again." 
As  soon  as  Richard  was  gone,  a  great  number 
of  the  leading  and  influential  people  began  to 
form  plans  to  keep  him  from  coming  back  again, 
or  at  least  to  prevent  his  ever  again  ruling  over 
the  realm.  Henry,  who  was  now  in  Paris,  and 
who,  since  his  father  was  dead,  was  now  him- 
self the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  began  to  receive  let- 
ters from  many  persons  urging  him  to  come  to 
England,  and  promising  him  their  support  in 
<iispossessing  Richard  of  the  throne. 

Henry  determined  at  length  to  comply  with 
these  proposals.  He  found  many  persons  in 
France  to  encourage  him,  and  some  to  join  him.' 
With  these  persons,  not  more,  it  is  said,  than 
sixty  in  all,  he  set  sail  from  the  coast  of  France, 
and,  passing  across  the  Channel,  approached  the 
coast  of  England.  He  touched  at  several  places, 
to  ascertain  what  was  the  feeling  of  the  country 
toward  him.  At  length  he  was  encouraged  to 
land.  The  people  received  him  joyfully,  and 
«very  body  flocked  to  his  standard. 


334  KING  RICHARD  II.  [A.D.139& 

A  rebellion.  Misfortunes  of  the  king. 

The  Duke  of  York,  whom  Richard  had  left 
as  regent,  immediately  called  a  council  of  Rich- 
ard's friends  to  consider  what  it  was  best  to  do. 
On  consultation  and  inquiry,  they  found  that 
the  country  would  not  support  them  in  any  plan 
for  resisting  Henry.  So  they  abandoned  Rich- 
ard's cause  at  once  in  despair,  and  fled  in  vari- 
ous directions,  intent  only  on  saving  their  own 
lives. 

The  Duke  of  York  went  to  Windsor  Castler 
took  the  queen  and  her  attendants,  and  convey- 
ed them  up  the  river  to  the  Castle  of  Walling- 
ford,  where  he  thought  they  would  be  more  safe. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  king's  expedition  to- 
Ireland  resulted  disastrously,  and  he  returned 
to  England.  To  his  utter  dismay,  he  learned,, 
on  his  arrival,  that  Henry  had  landed  in  En- 
gland, and  was  advancing  toward  London  in  a 
triumphant  manner.  He  had  no  sufficient  force- 
under  his  command  to  enable  him  to  go  and 
meet  his  cousin  with  any  hope  of  success.  The 
only  question  was  how  he  could  save  himself 
from  Henry's  vengeance.  He  dismissed  the- 
troops  that  remained  with  him,  and  then,  with 
a  very  few  attendants  to  accompany  him,  he 
sought  refuge  for  a  while  among  the  castles  in 
Wales,  where  he  was  reduced  to  great  destitu- 
tion and  distress,  being  forced  sometimes  to  sleep 


THE  DEPOSITION.  335 

Conway  Castle.  The  king  is  made  prisoner. 

on  straw.  At  length  he  went  to  Conway,  which 
is  a  town  near  the  northern  confines  of  Wales, 
and  shut  himself  up  in  the  castle  there — that 
famous  Conway  Castle,  the  ruins  of  which  are 
so  much  visited  and  admired  by  the  tourists  of 
the  present  day. 

In  the  mean  time,  Henry,  although  he  had 
marched  triumphantly  through  England  at  the 
head  of  a  large,  though  irregular  force,  had  not 
proclaimed  himself  king,  or  taken  any  other 
open  step  inconsistent  with  his  allegiance  to 
Eichard.  But  now,  when  he  heard  that  Eich- 
ard  was  in  Wales,  he  went  thither  himself  at 
the  head  of  quite  a  large  army  which  he  had 
raised  in  London.  He  stopped  at  a  town  in 
North  Wales  called  Flint,  and,  taking  his  lodg 
ings  there,  he  sent  forward  an  earl  as  his  mes- 
senger to  Conway  Castle  to  treat  with  Eichard. 
The  earl,  on  being  introduced  into  Eichard's 
presence,  said  that  his  cousin  was  at  Flint  Cas- 
tle, and  wished  that  he  would  come  there  to 
confer  with  him  on  matters  of  great  moment. 
Eichard  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He  soon 
reflected,  however,  that  he  was  completely  in 
Henry's  power,  and  that  he  might  as  well  make 
a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  submit  with  a  good 
grace ;  so  he  said  he  would  accompany  the  earl 
to  Flint  Castle. 


336  KING  EICHARD  II. 

His  interview  with  Henry  at  the  castle  in  Wales. 

They  had  not  gone  far  on  the  road  before  a 
large  number  of  armed  men  appeared  at  the 
road  side,  in  a  narrow  place  between  the  mount- 
ains and  the  sea,  where  they  had  been  lying  in 
ambush.  These  men  were  under  the  earl's  com- 
mand. Little  was  said,  but  Eichard  saw  that 
he  was  a  prisoner. 

On  his  arrival  at  Flint  Castle,*  Richard  had 
an  interview  with  Henry.  Henry,  when  he 
came  into  the  king's  presence,  treated  him  with 
all  due  reverence,  as  if  he  still  acknowledged 
him  as  his  sovereign.  He  kneeled  repeatedly 
as  he  advanced,  until  at  length  the  king  took 
him  by  the  hand  and  raised  him  up,  saying,  at 
the  same  time, 

"  Dear  cousin,  you  are  welcome." 

Henry  replied, 

"  My  sovereign  lord  and  king,  the  cause  of  my 
coming  at  this  time  is  to  have  again  the  restitu- 
tion of  my  person,  my  lands,  and  my  heritage, 
through  your  majesty's  gracious  permission." 

The  king  replied, 

"  Dear  cousin,  I  am  ready  to  accomplish  your 
will,  so  that  you  may  enjoy  all  that  is  yours 
without  exception." 

*  There  is  some  discrepancy  in  the  accounts  in  respect 
to  the  castle  where  this  interview  was  had,  but  this  is  not 
uateriaL 


THE  DEPOSITION.  337 

The  king  is  conveyed  a  prisoner  to  London. 

After  some  farther  insincere  and  hypocritical 
conversation  of  this  sort,  breakfast  was  served. 
After  breakfast,  Henry  conducted  the  king  to 
a  window  on  the  wall,  from  which,  on  looking 
over  the  plain,  a  vast  number  of  armed  men, 
who  had  come  from  London  with  Henry,  were 
to  be  seen.  Richard  asked  who  those  men 
were.  Henry  replied  that  they  were  people  of 
London. 

"And  what  do  they  want?"  asked  Richard. 

"They  want  me  to  take  you"  said  Henry, 
"and  carry  you  prisoner  to  the  Tower;  and 
there  will  be  no  pacifying  them  unless  you  go 
with  me." 

Richard  saw  at  once  that  it  was  useless  to 
make  any  resistance,  so  he  submitted  himself 
entirely  to  such  arrangements  as  Henry  might 
make.  Henry  accordingly  set  out  with  him  on 
the  journey  to  London,  ostensibly  escorting  him 
as  a  king,  but  really  conveying  him  as  a  pris- 
oner. On  the  journey,  the  fallen  monarch  suf- 
fered many  marks  of  neglect  and  indignity,  but 
lie  knew  that  he  was  wholly  in  the  power  of 
his  enemies,  and  that  it  was  useless  to  complain; 
indeed,  his  spirit  was  completely  broken,  and 
lie  had  no  heart  to  make  even  a  struggle.  On 
reaching  London,  he  was  conducted  to  the  Tow- 
er. He  was  lodged  there  as  he  had  often  been 

8—22 


338  KING  RICHARD  IT. 

Parliament  convened.  Charges  preferred  against  the  king. 

lodged  before,  only  now  the  guards  which  sur- 
rounded him  were  under  the  command  of  his 
•enemies,  and  were  placed  there  to  prevent  his 
escape,  instead  of  to  protect  him  from  danger. 

Henry  immediately  convened  a  Parliament, 
issuing  the  writs,  however,  in  the  king's  name. 
This  was  necessary,  to  make  the  Parliament 
technically  legal.  When  the  Parliament  met, 
articles  of  accusation  were  formally  brought 
against  Richard.  These  articles  were  thirty- 
three  in  number.  They  recapitulated  all  the 
political  crimes  and  offenses  which  Richard  had 
committed  during  his  life,  his  cruelties  and  op- 
pressions, his  wastefulness-,  his  mal-administra- 
tion  of  public  affairs,  the  illegal  and  unjust  sen- 
tences of  banishment  or  of  death  which  he  had 
pronounced  upon  peers  of  the  realm,  and  vari- 
ous other  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors. 

While  these  measures  were  pending,  Rich- 
ard's mind  was  in  a  state  of  dreadful  suspense 
and  agitation.  Sometimes  he  sank  into  the 
greatest  depths  of  despondency  and  gloom,  and 
sometimes  he  raved  like  a  madman,  walking  to 
.and  fro  in  his  apartment  in  his  phrensy,  vowing 
vengeance  on  his  enemies. 

He  had  interviews  from  time  to  time  with 
Henry  and  the  other  nobles.  At  one  time  Hen- 
ry went  with  the  Duke  of  York  and  others  to 


A.D.1399.]  THE   DEPOSITION.  339 

Interview  between  Richard  and  Henry  in  the  Tower. 

the  Tower,  and  sent  a  messenger  to  the  king, 
requesting  him  to  come  to  the  apartment  where 
they  were,  as  they  wished  to  see  him. 

"  Tell  Henry  of  Lancaster,"  said  the  king, 
"  that  I  shall  do  no  such  thing.  If  he  wishes 
to  see  me,  let  him  come  to  me." 

So  they  came  to  the  king's  apartment.  Hen- 
ry took  off  his  cap  as  he  came  in,  and  saluted 
the  king  respectfully.  The  Duke  of  York  was 
with  Henry  at  this  time.  Richard  was  very 
angry  with  the  Duke  of  York,  whom  he  had 
left  regent  of  England  when  he  went  away,  but 
who  had  made  no  resistance  to  Henry's  inva- 
sion. So,  as  soon  as  he  saw  him,  he  broke  forth 
in  a  perfect  phrensy  of  vituperation  and  rage 
against  him,  and  against  his  son,  who  was  also 
present.  This  produced  a  violent  altercation 
between  them  and  the  king,  in  which  one  of 
them  told  the  king  that  he  lied,  and  threw  down 
his  bonnet  before  him  in  token  of  defiance. 
Richard  then  turned  to  Henry,  and  demanded, 
in  a  voice  of  fury,  why  he  was  placed  thus  in 
confinement,  under  a  guard  of  armed  men. 

"Am  I  your  servant,"  he  demanded,  "or 
am  I  your  king  ?  And  what  do  you  intend  to 
do  with  me  ?" 

"  You  are  my  king  and  lord,"  replied  Henry, 
calmly,  "but  the  Parliament  have  determined 


340 


KING  EICHARD  II. 


Eage  of  Richard. 


Portrait  of  Henrj. 


that  you  are  to  be  kept  in  confinement  for  the 
present,  until  they  can  decide  in  respect  to  the 
charges  laid  against  you." 

Here  the  king  uttered  a  dreadful  imprecation, 
expressive  of  rage  and  despair. 

1  He  then  demanded  that  they  should  let  him 
have  his  wife.  But  Henry  replied  that  the 
council  had  forbidden  that  he  should  see  the 


HENRY   OF    KOLINOKROXR — KINO   HBNEY    IV. 


THE  DEPOSITION.  343 

The  king  is  compelled  to  abdicate  the  crown. 

queen.  This  exasperated  the  king  more  than 
ever.  He  walked  to  and  fro  across  the  apart- 
ment, wringing  his  hands,  and  uttering  wild  and 
incoherent  expressions  of  helpless  rage. 

The  end  of  it  was  that  Richard  was  forced  to 
abdicate  the  crown.  He  soon  saw  that  it  was 
only  by  so  doing  that  he  could  hope  to  save  his- 
life.  An  assembly  was  convened,  and  he  for- 
mally delivered  up  his  crown,  and  renounced 
all  claim  to  it  forever.  He  also  gave  up  the 
globe  and  sceptre,  the  emblems  of  sovereignty, 
with  which  he  had  been  invested  at  his  corona- 
tion. In  addition  to  this  ceremony,  a  written 
deed  of  abdication  had  been  drawn  up,  and 
this  deed  was  now  signed  by  the  king  with  all 
the  necessary  formalities.  Proclamation  having 
been  made  of  Richard's  abdication,  Henry  came 
forward  and  claimed  the  crown  as  Richard's 
rightful  successor,  and  he  was  at  once  proclaim- 
ed king,  and  conducted  to  the  throne.  Rich- 
ard was  conducted  back  to  the  Tower,  and  soon 
afterward  was  conveyed,  by  Henry's  order,  to 
a  more  sure  place  of  confinement — Pontefract 
Castle,  and  here  was  shut  up  a  close  prisoner. 

Things  remained  in  this  state  a  short  time, 
and  then  a  rumor  arose  that  a  conspiracy  was 
formed  by  Richard's  friends  to  murder  Henry, 
and  restore  Richard  to  the  throne.  A  spiked 


344  KING  EICHARD  II.  [A.D.1399. 

Henry  desires  that  Itichard  should  be  killed. 

instrument  was  said  to  have  been  found  in  Hen- 
ry's bed,  put  there  by  some  of  the  conspirators, 
with  a  view  of  destroying  him  when  he  lay 
down.  Whether  this  story  of  the  conspiracy 
was  false  or  true,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  the 
existence  of  Eichard  endangered  greatly  the 
continuance  and  security  of  Henry's  power. 
Henry  and  his  counselors  were  well  aware  of 
this ;  and  one  day,  when  they  had  been  con- 
versing on  the  subject  of  this  danger,  Henry 
said, 

"  Have  I  no  faithful  friend  who  will  deliver 
me  from  this  man,  whose  life  is  death  to  me, 
and  whose  death  would  be  my  life?" 

Very  soon  after  this,  it  was  known  that  Rich- 
ard was  dead.  The  universal  belief  was  that 
he  was  murdered.  There  were  various  rumors 
in  respect  to  the  manner  in  which  the  deed  was 
perpetrated.  The  account  most  precise  and 
positive  states  that  a  man  named  Exton,  who 
had  heard  the  remark  of  the  king,  repaired  at 
once  to  the  castle  of  Pontefract,  accompanied  by 
eight  desperate  men,  all  well  armed,  and  gained 
admission  to  Eichard's  room  while  he  was  at 
table.  Eichard,  seeing  his  danger,  sprang  up, 
and  attempted  to  defend  himself.  He  wrench- 
ed a  weapon  out  of  the  hands  of  one  of  his  as- 
sailants, and  fought  with  it  so  furiously  that 


A.D.1399.]  RICHAKD'S  DEATH.  345 

Assassination  of  Kichard.  Disposal  of  the  body. 

"he  cut  down  four  of  the  ruffians  before  he  was 
overpowered.  He  was  felled  to  the  floor  at 
last  by  a  blow  which  Exton  struck  him  upon 
his  head,  Exton  having  sprung  up  upon  the 
chair  which  Richard  had  sat  in,  and  thus  ob- 
tained an  advantage  by  his  high  position. 

It  was  necessary  to  make  the  fact  of  Rich- 
ard's death  very  certain,  and  so,  soon  afterward, 
the  body  was  placed  upon  a  hearse,  and  drawn 
by  four  black  horses  to  London.  Here  it  was 
left  in  a  public  place  for  some  time,  to  be  view- 
ed by  all  who  desired  to  view  it.  There  were 
no  less  than  twenty  thousand  persons  that  avail- 
ed themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  satisfying 
themselves,  by  the  evidence  of  their  senses,  that 
the  hated  Richard  was  no  more. 

The  little  queen  all  this  time  had  been  con- 
fined in  another  castle.  She  was  now  about 
twelve  years  old.  Her  father,  when  he  heard 
of  the  misfortunes  which  had  befallen  her  hus- 
band, and  of  the  forlorn  and  helpless  condition 
in  which  she  was  placed,  was  so  distressed  that 
he  became  insane.  The  other  members  of  the 
family  sent  to  England  to  demand  that  she 
should  be  restored  to  them,  but  Henry  refused 
this  request.  He  wished  to  make  her  the  wife 
of  his  son,  who  was  now  the  Prince  of  Wales, 


346  KING  EICHARD  II.  [AJD.1399. 

The  little  queen.  Her  return  to  France. 

but  Isabella  would  not  listen  to  any  such  pro- 
posals. Then  Henry  wished  that  she  should 
remain  in  England  as  the  queen-dowager,  and 
he  promised  that  she  should  be  treated  with  the 
greatest  respect  and  consideration  as  long  as  she 
lived ;  but  neither  she  herself  nor  her  friends  in 
France  would  consent  to  this.  At  length,  after 
long  delay,  and  many  protracted  negotiations, 
it  was  decided  that  she  should  return  home. 

The  little  queen,  on  her  return  to  France, 
embarked  from  Dover.  There  were  five  ves- 
sels appointed  to  receive  her  and  her  suite. 
There  were  in  attendance  upon  her  two  ladies 
of  the  royal  family,  who  had  the  charge  of  her 
person,  her  governess,  several  maids  of  honor, 
and  two  French  chambermaids,  whose  names 
were  Semonette  and  Marianne.  There  were 
many  other  persons  besides. 

Isabella  reached  the  French  frontier  at  a  town 
between  Calais  and  Boulogne,  and  there  was 
delivered,  with  much  form  and  ceremony,  to  a 
deputation  of  French  authorities  sent  forward 
to  receive  her. 

She  lived  in  France  after  this  for  several 
years,  mourning  her  husband  all  the  time  with 
faithful  and  unchanging  affection.  At  length 
a  marriage  was  arranged  for  her  with  her  cous- 
in, a  French  prince.  She  was  married  when 


A.D.1399.]  RICHAED'S  DEATH.  347 

Sequel  of  the  story  of  the  little  queen. 

she  was  nineteen  years  old.  She  was  very 
averse  to  this  marriage  when  it  was  first  pro- 
posed to  her,  and  could  only  speak  of  it  with 
tears ;  but,  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
case,  she  thought  that  she  was  not  at  liberty  to 
decline  it,  and  after  she  was  married  she  loved 
her  husband  very  sincerely,  and  made  a  very 
devoted  and  faithful  wife.  Three  years  after 
her  marriage  she  had  a  son,  and  a  few  hours 
after  the  birth  of  the  child  she  suddenly  died. 
Her  husband  was  almost  distracted  when  he 
heard  that  his  beloved  wife  was  dead.  His 
grief  seemed,  for  a  time,  perfectly  uncontrol- 
lable ;  but  when  they  brought  to  him  his  in- 
fant child,  it  seemed  in  some  measure  to  com- 
fort him. 


THE  END. 


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